Music To My Ears
by UltimatePotterhead98
Summary: Percy Jackson has just transferred to Goode High but he doesn't really know where to fit in. He isn't good enough to be a football player. There aren't any swim teams to join. The only place he finds himself fitting in is Music class. While trying to go unnoticed by most, what happens when Annabeth hears him play during a cheer practise? Will she be able to break down his walls?
1. Chapter 1

Percy walked into school as he pulled his hood over his head keeping his head down, backpack swung over one shoulder and headphones blasting his favourite songs. It was his first day at Goode on the first day of the school year. He knew he could easily go unnoticed amongst the crowds of people hugging and laughing as they caught up on each others summers but he still tried to be as discreet as possible, not wanting to risk it. His stepfather, Gabe Ugliano, had been clear that this was the last school he would tolerate paying for before he'd "homeschool" Percy himself. Percy knew what that meant. Either he graduated this year without any fights or incidents, without getting expelled or Gabe would make sure he would suffer everyday, physically and in any other way that Gabe managed to find. Percy knew that he should tell someone about the abuse he had to suffer through. After all the amount of councillors he'd seen come from class to class in his old schools talking about "abuse and bullying", he knew that what Gabe was doing was wrong. He knew he didn't deserve it. Gabe was just an ass. However, he was an ass who threatened him with the notion of hurting his mother, saying that whatever he did to Percy, he would do to Sally if he ever told anyone. Percy knew that his mother had enough on her plate with all the jobs she was holding to pay for Gabe's gambling as well as all the other expenses; not to mention having to share a bed with that pig. Percy shuddered at the thought. He just needed to get through one more year. One more year and he'd get a job so that he and his mother could move out of Gabe's house and get their own place. Maybe they would be better off. Who was he kidding, anything was better than Gabe Ugliano's sty. Sorry, apartment. He knew that the only he could get through the year was to lay low and avoid getting himself into trouble.

His hand went to rub his free shoulder that was still sore from his last beating. He looked up for a second to make sure he wasn't running into anyone before spotting the principals office. Having reached his destination, he quietly snuck inside, dropping his hood and walked up to the secretary.

"Hi. I'm Percy and I was suppose to meet with Principal Garrofolo for my schedule or something like that? I'm new." He says scratching the back of his head. The secretary gives him a big smile and points him towards the door that had the principles name on it.

"Just knock and go right in. She's been waiting for you." she says softly making him nod softly. He made his way to the door, knocked and went right in. The lady at the desk turned and gave Percy a bright smile. She looked nice enough, compared to his other principles. He was usually greeted with a glare, due to his horrible record with school. She gestured to the seat in front of her so he sat down. He rubbed his neck slowly feeling uncomfortable as the principal stared him down, analyzing him basically.

"So, looking at you now, I can tell that you aren't really what your records say. Am I right?" She says putting her arms on her desk looking at Percy pointedly. Judging by how nervous he was, she could tell he didn't seen like the cocky kind of kinds who usually held records similar to his. Something about him was different to her.

"I… I think you might be right… I usually tend to be at the wrong place at the wrong time." He agrees nervously. He knew he wasn't a bad guy but… bad things just happened around him all the time. He looked down at his hands, fumbling with his fingers.

"Well hopefully that won't happen hear at Goode. I know that your grades are not stellar and it was hard for us to accept you because of this. I would hope that this isn't something that would continue to happen here as well. We expect you to hold an average above a C+ Perseus." She explains making him wince.

"Just Percy, please." He says looking up from his fingers. She nods and smiles a little. She then goes on to explain roughly the way the school works and how his behaviour should be and how to find his classes. There were three levels and three wings, say your class was A314, you would have to go to the A wing, which was the main wing and head to the third flood. There were however, clear signs to show students which group of classrooms were where. After all this, she started talking about the schools extra amenities.

"The gym is open everyday until 9pm, which is four hours after school hours end. The library stays open until 9pm if you ever need to do some studying and the music room is open until 9pm as well. With the permission of the music teacher who graciously stays until we close the room, you can rent out the instrument until the end of the day so you can wander about the halls with whichever instrument you desire; other than a piano obviously. If you wish for a more private room with a piano, we do have a couple of music rooms spread through out the main building, but you will need the permission of the music teacher Mr. Apollo. If you wish to join the football team or the basketball team, than practise starts at 4pm and ends at 6pm." She explains making Percy nod. The one thing he was really interested in was the music room. Ever since his father died when he was three, he had been self-teaching himself, with the help of his mother, as his dad loved to play. And now, he could play the drums, the piano and the guitar. He had tried to play the violin but he hated the noise. After handing him his schedule, she let him go and he just wandered the halls, heading to his first class: Musical Theory. He had this class three times a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. This class was than followed by English on Monday and Wednesday. After English was lunch, making his last classes Latin and Chemistry on Wednesdays and Fridays. Monday afternoons he had Math and Biology, having these classes on Thursday mornings as well. Tuesday mornings he had World History and Art as well has having these Thursday afternoons. He finished his Tuesday with a free period and Gym. [Recap Monday- Musical Theory/English/Lunch/Math/Biology, Tuesday - World History/Art/Lunch/Free Period/Gym, Wednesday - Musical Theory/English/Lunch/Latin/Chemistry, Thursday - Math/Biology/Lunch/World History/Art, and Friday - Musical Theory/Free Period/Lunch/Latin/Chemistry]. He slowly made his way to Musical Theory which was in the main building of the school. As soon as he walked into the music room, which was where the class was held, he couldn't help but be amazed by the excessive amount of instruments. There was the most beautiful grand piano ever sitting in the middle of the room. Percy walked over to it, noticing he was alone in the classroom and ran his fingers along the ivory keys. He closed his eyes smiling as his touch let out the beautiful sounds of the grand piano.

"She's beautiful isn't she?" A deep voice says from behind him. He jumps and turns around, not so used to being startled. Leaning against a doorframe was a 25 year old man (at the least) in black dress pants and a sky blue shirt tucked into his pants. There was no denying that this man was good looking. You'd have to be blind not to notice it, but it didn't faze Percy.

"My name is Mr. Apollo Livingston but I prefer Mr. Apollo or just Apollo. I'm the music teacher," the man said as he made his way over to Percy.

"You must be Perseus Jackson. Do you play?" He added pointing towards the piano. Percy felt himself nod, not trusting his words.

"Well we have a good 15 minutes before anybody else shows up, would you mind playing me something? Maybe a Chopin? Unless you prefer Satie? or Mozart? You know what I'll leave that up to you." Percy didn't think that Apollo seemed to notice how nervous and/or scared Percy was. But none the less, Percy had promised his mother he would try his hardest to impress his teachers and get good grades. He sat on the piano bench and let his fingers do the work. When he played, it was as if the world stopped turning, as if he and the piano were one. Percy had heard this description when people fell in love and he was in love. He was in love with music.

What Percy was playing wasn't anything that Apollo had ever heard before and it seemed, and Apollo was pretty much certain of this, that Percy was playing something of his own creation. And hearing this melody, hearing Percy play, Apollo hadn't been this moved in a long time. He smiled widely as Percy finished playing.

"That was beautiful. Did you write that yourself?" Apollo asked despite already knowing the answer. Percy nodded and spoke for the first time.

"I wrote it last semester… I used to sneak in after school hours to use the piano from eleven to one in the morning… We don't really have a piano at my house. I haven't touched one since I got caught sneaking out of the school." Percy admits. The only reason he snuck in was because Gabe passed out drunk and snored too loud. Percy used music as a way out. Apollo laughed loudly hearing this confession, a reaction that Percy definitely wasn't expecting. He cracks a smile and Apollo taps his shoulder. Percy winces slightly but this goes unnoticed to his teacher.

"Well that won't be a problem anymore, you can feel free to use the school piano's at any time. Is this the only instrument you play?" Apollo asked him. Percy shook his head.

"I also play the guitar and the drums. I tried playing the violin and even though my mother said I was good… I never enjoyed the sound much." Percy explains. His teacher grins and nods.

"Stay a little after school ends, I'd like to have a word with you." Apollo than gestures Percy to a seat and as Percy sits down, students start flooding in.


	2. Chapter 2

Percy sank into his chair at the corner table of the cafeteria. His first day had been okay so far. Musical Theory had been a lot of fun, he managed to go unnoticed by most after his professor forced him to introduce himself. In English, he had to go through a similar thing but he stayed rather quiet. He could feel that everybody was curious about him, who wouldn't be, he was the new kid. However, he didn't want to let anybody get the chance to find out more about him, which he did by giving the most boring introductions ever. He looked around the cafeteria and than looks back down at his food, pricking at his fries. The only time he looked up after that was when somebody sat in front of him. He can't help but raise an eyebrow at the girl sitting in front of him.

"Hi! Im Calypso. You're the new kid right? Welcome to Goode High!" She says cheerfully. He blinks at her a little. A welcoming committee? Of course. He forces a smile.

"Thanks… I'm uh Percy." He responds looking back down at his food hoping she would leave.

"Do you want to come sit with my and my friends at my table? I know it can be hard to be new but we're a really welcoming bunch." She says smiling brightly at him. He almost felt bad for what he was about to say next.

"I'd um rather not… I just, I'd prefer to be alone. Always have, always will." He lies giving her a reassuring smile as her starts to drop. She quickly picks it back up and stands.

"Well if theres anything you need, you can always come look for me!" She says before waving and walking off. He sighs and stands up as well, throwing the rest of his food in the trash before heading outside to find a quiet spot to be alone.

* * *

Annabeth smiles at Calypso as she sits next to her with a small frown.

"What are you so sad about? Did the people not bow on the ground you walk on today?" She teases her friend as Calypso rolls her eyes.

"Shut up Annie." She says knowing it would annoy her friend before sighing looking over at the table Percy was sitting at before.

"Its just the new kid. I tried to welcome him and be friendly but he didn't want to be welcomed I guess. He has a lone wolf kind of vibe." She adds before shaking her head and shrugging picking at her fries.

"Not everybody can be as happy as you." Annabeth teases nudging her friend before going back to her food. She looks up just as Percy goes out of view and bites down on her lip. The new boy was definitely a mystery, a hot mystery. But she didn't dwell too much on this fact. No, dhe needed to focus on her studies if she wanted to get a scholarship to an Ivy League college and become the best architect her capacities would allow her to be. There was never any time for boys. Piper and her boyfriend Jason then joined them at the table making Annabeth look up. Piper gave her a smile before frowning a little, noticing the distant look in her eyes.

"What's on your mind Annabeth?" She asks taking a sip of her coke. Annabeth shakes her head.

"It's nothing, just thinking about the english paper due at the end of term. Our teacher was talking about it today and I'm trying to figure out what subject I should write on." She lies pushing hair behind her ear. Piper rolls her eyes and Jason chuckles a little.

"Thats like months away, I really don't know what you are worried about, you will do great you always do." Jason says giving her his every so charming smile. She nods smiling back at him.

"You're right. As always." She concedes before going back to her food as more of their friends join them. She looks around the table at the many couples assembled: Jason and Piper, Frank and Hazel, Charlie and Selena and Leo and Callie. Other than herself, the only single ones were Reyna and Rachel. It was always hard being one of the single ones as her friends often tried to set her up with boys. It wasn't like she didn't long for a relationship, she desperately wanted to have somebody she could count on, but if her parents divorce had been anything to go on, relationships never lasted. She wanted something stable, something permanent. But she knew that was too much to ask for, a dream that would never come true.

* * *

"Okay guys take a break." Callie says before Annabeth collapses on the green grass of the football field. She threw her pompoms at Callie glaring.

"Is it really necessary to exhaust us to this point?" She whines trying to catch her breath. Callie glares smirking a little.

"Cheerleader requires great stamina and strength Annabeth, if you can't handle it you didn't have to sign up." She teases making Annabeth groan as she stands up.

"Says the one who forced me to sign up. I'm going to the bathroom, you can start again without me." Annabeth says walking past her friend who huffed.

"Fine! But don't take to long! The first game is in two weeks and we need to practice!" Calypso shouts after her but it fell on deaf ears. She throws her pompoms down on the ground with a stomp mumbling about how nobody ever listens to her. Annabeth smiles to herself as she walks into the school heading to the bathroom. She passed the music class on her way and was not surprised to see the professor in the classroom with a student.

* * *

"Why did you want to see me here sir?" Percy asks as he takes a seat in his music class. Apollo grins sitting on the desk in front of his student.

"Well you seem to have such an affinity for the piano and other instruments as well I just wanted to see what else you could do. I mean have you ever thought about actually getting lessons or having somebody else you with your musical gifts?" Apollo says pointing to himself smirking a little. Percy had enormous talent and he was able to tell simply by listening to him play for 5 minutes. If Apollo was able to coach Percy, Percy could become an incredible musician, even better then he was now and Apollo was more than willing to help his student.

Percy, hearing this proposition, raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

"Why would you want to help me… I mean, Im just the new kid and I don't have the best record… Why would you want to get yourself invested in me?" He asks biting his lips. He found it hard to believe that his teacher could be so generous after only knowing him for such a short amount of time. He would have never expected this and didn't feel deserving of it either. Apollo stands up and put this hand on Percy's shoulder.

"Because I think that with my coaching, you could be an incredible musician. You already have the drive, the talent and the creativity and with me you could take it up to another level. You're already amazing at the piano and I can only assume you have the same ease with the other instruments you play but have you ever thought about learning other instruments? I could teach you. By better understanding other instruments and their sounds, you could better compose your own pieces." Apollo explains smiling widely. Before Percy could even say anything else, Apollo veered him towards he piano.

"Why don't you go and play the song you were playing this morning and I'll show you what I mean." Percy looks at his teacher hesitantly before walking up to the piano. He sat down on the seat and set his fingers down on the ivory keys. He looked up at his professor one last time before starting to play, letting the music flood through the room and out in the halls. As he played, Apollo picked up a guitar and started accompanying him and Percy started understanding what he meant. With the additional melody, his composition sounded more complete. He was actually impressed.

* * *

Annabeth was on her way back to cheer practice when she was halted in her steps by an amazing melody. She knew exactly where the sound was coming from and she didn't hesitate to head that way. She poked her head through the door of the music room and was incredibly surprised to see the new kid playing the piano with the company of Professor Apollo. She smiled slightly letting herself be impressed and intrigued by him before she decided it was probably best to walk back to practice. As she got back to practise, Calypso let everyone go on break. She raises an eyebrow as Annabeth walks over to her.

"Your bathroom break ran a little long. You okay?" She asks her friend folding her arms. Annabeth knew that she tried to look threatening but she knew her friend better than that making her smile.

"I heard the new kid play the piano with Professor Apollo. It was actually incredible." She explained picking her pompoms up from the ground. Piper, who was sitting right next to her, raised an eyebrow.

"So the new kid is actually a broody musician? I'm sorry but thats so hot." She smirks as she stretches. Annabeth raises an eyebrow looking down at her friend.

"Don't you have a boyfriend?" She asks making Piper laugh slightly. With a sly look on her face, Piper responds to her friend.

"Just because I already have a boyfriend, doesn't mean that I can't admire what's out there. Doesn't mean I'm going to do anything about it. I love Jason but I can't deny I enjoy browsing." Annabeth rolls her eyes at her response and sits down next to her friend. Piper never ceased to amaze her. She had always thought her to be a more laid-back, tomboy, drama free type of person but she secretly craved the gossip and drama brought along by the different romances at school. Lost in thought, she didn't notice Piper and Calypso share a glance before they both turned to face her.

"So… thinking about Percy?" Piper teases snapping her out of her thoughts. Annabeth rolled her eyes at her friends antics scoffing.

"Please, even if I was, there is no way I could ever do anything about it. Not only does he seem set on being alone but I don't have time for dalliances. I need to focus on getting into a good university and getting myself a scholarship." Annabeth says strictly to disband any thoughts of her and Percy from her friends mind.


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: To the Guest user who left a review asking who says an Ivy League college is what would make an architect great, I was not implying that great architects only come out of prestigious colleges and universities. I always pictured a mortal Annabeth to be incredibly ambitious (and she is ambitious in the books as well) and she is also incredibly intelligent, which made me want to give her the goal of getting into an Ivy League college. So I was in no means trying to make offence by giving Annabeth this goal.**_

Percy sighs as he slowly opens the door to their families shit-hole apartment. He peaks his head in and sees Gabe laying down on the couch, fast asleep with a bottle of scotch in hand. He walk into the apartment, closing the door behind him slowly as to not make a sound and wake up his step-father. He takes off his shoes and shuffles to his bedroom instantly collapsing on the bed. He glances up at his alarm clock. 9:23. He didn't realize how late he had stayed with his teacher. He smiled at the thought of the evening he spent playing music, learning new things about music and getting constructive criticism on his pieces. He closes his eyes before sitting up looking around at his room. It was small, modest. His small single bed was confined to the right corner of his bedroom, a small nightstand set up next to it. Across the foot of the bed was a small commode, half the drawers partially open, clothes tumbling out slightly. On the left wall of the room, which wasn't too far away from the edge of the bed, some pictures of his mother, his father and himself were hung up by little pins, all frameless. A full length mirror leaned against the wall, next to the door. It wasn't much, but it was his home. He grabs a square plank of wood that was leaning against the left wall barely an arms length away from the ends of the bed. He set it on his lap, as he used is as a desk, and pulled his school work out of his bag waisting no time to delve into the work. All he needed to stay was a C+ average. All he needed to keep getting lessons with Apollo was just a bit of extra focus on his school work. He sigh as he turned on the lamp on his nightstand to get additional light and focuses on the words on the page in front of him. His dyslexia jumbles the letters of the paper in front of him and he runs his fingers through his hair in frustration. This was going to be harder than he thought.

* * *

Weeks go by and his routine is the same. He keeps his head down during classes and he avoids contact with any other students in fear that he will "act up" again. In the evenings, he either spends time with Professor Apollo in the music room or gets himself a private room to play in. When he gets home, late in the evening, he avoids Gabe like the plague if his step-father happens to be the case. Most of the time, Gabe is either asleep, gone, or too busy drinking his liver away to care about him. When his mother is home, they usually spend time together in his room. She helps him with his homework or they play cards, escaping the world around them. Tonight was different. As soon as Percy gets home, he is cornered in his bedroom by Gabe.

"Where the fuck do you keep going after school? Huh?" Gabe slurs, the stink of scotch carrying itself of him and into to Percy's nose. Percy barely glances up at his stepfather as he sets his bag down on the bed.

"I stay at school." He states not wanting to anger his step father who growls animalisticly.

"Liar! I was over at my buddies for poker for tonight and I looked inside my wallet and there wasn't any fucking cash! You stole it didn't you, and you're fucking using it on bullshit things wasting your time after school!" Gabe yells angrily pointing his finger accusingly at Percy who's anger starts to boil up at the accusations of his step-father. He wished his mother was home, knowing he wouldn't have to deal with these kinds of things if she was here. He glares at his step-father in return.

"I never stole a dime from you. Maybe if you weren't so shit at poker, you'd still have money to spend on it! Don't blame me for your failures." Percy snaps back but the murderous look on his step-fathers face makes him wish he hadn't spoken those words out loud, no matter how true they were.

"Why you little shit!" And just like that, Percy was leaning against the wall clutching his eye. He closes his eyes, trying to get through the stinging sensation. He doesn't see the next blow. He's on the ground, gritting his teeth. Blow after blow, he takes them in silence not wanting to give Gabe the satisfaction of knowing how much this all hurt him, not wanting to show weakness in front of the man who gets power trips from beating up his step-son. Soon, Gabe gets bored or satisfied with what he's done and grunts his way out Percy's bedroom. Percy gulps loudly and pulls himself onto his bed taking deep breathes to get through the pain. He can forget about homework for today, what he needs right now is a nice long nap… or at least to sleep until school started off the next day.

He is woken up in the morning by his mother coming into his room warning him, that if he didn't wake up, he would be late for school. He groans notting as he sits up in his bed, his body sore from the latest beating. His mother starts making her way out of the bedroom but stops in her track noticing only the black eye on his face, all other bruises hidden by the clothes he forgot to take off last night. She sits on the side of his bed and runs her finger along the bruise concerned making Percy flinch slightly.

"Percy honey, did you get into another fight at school?" She asks concerned about her only child's safety but Percy perceived her tone for that of disappointment and the last thing he wanted was to disappoint his mother. He looks up at her shaking his head.

"No mom, I promise. Its just last night, I was getting up to get some water and I trip over some of clothes and knocked my eye against the doorknob" He says lamely but she seems to fall for it, blaming his tone and attitude on him being up so early in the morning. It didn't sit right with her but her son would never lie to her. Why would she doubt him? She nods kissing his head softly making him smile.

"I'll get you some ice and some Advil okay? But get yourself ready for school honey. I don't want you to be late." She says before leaving the room, closing the door behind her. Percy sighs and gets out of bed groaning. He strips himself of his clothes and stands in front of his mirror. He had bruises all across his chest, some on his shoulder blades but luckily for him, all could be covered with clothes. His only issue remained the pulsating black eye. He brought his fingers to it hissing at the stinging sensation and shook his head. If he kept his head down and his hood over his face, nobody would even take a second look at him. People had gotten over the new kid quite fast when they realized he was nothing special. The only people who still seemed to slightly care were a couple of cheerleaders but he knew that their enthusiasm would fade eventually as well. He quickly got dressed and picked up his bag heading out to the kitchen where his mom was waiting with the ice and pills to help with the eye. He smiles kissing her cheek in thanks and she puts her hand over his cheek fondly before letting him go off to school, small goodbyes exchanged between the both of them. He keeps the ice on his eye until he's about a block from school, where he discards the half melted ice wrapped in paper towel into the nearest trash can. He fixes his hood, puts his head down and continues walking in the direction of the school.

* * *

His Friday morning went as they usually, but Apollo did try to get him more involved in class this morning, maybe surprised at his slight lack of interest in today's lesson. However, Percy could really only focus on one thing as he sat in the back of the class, another unusual factor of his morning. His thoughts were focused on making sure nobody would notice his bruise. He didn't want anybody asking questions. He didn't want his mother to get hurt because of something he may have done. His free period and lunch time were spend in the front lawn, under a tree, trying to catch up on the homework he missed on the night before, so his head was ducked down as he tried focusing on the words in front of him. He had a surprisingly easy time in Latin today, the professor focusing mostly on the influence Latin has on other languages, something he knew they wouldn't be tested on, so while he tried to pay attention, he let his mind drift elsewhere. Finally, a surprise awaited him in Chemistry when he was asked to pick a number from a hat while entering the lab.

"Pick a number, find your station. We're starting your group assignments today." His teacher said grinning down at him. Percy tried his best not to groan out loud as he picked a number. 3. He looked up slightly to find his station already occupied by someone else. His partner… Annabeth Chase.


	4. Chapter 4

Annabeth was sitting in her seat, scrolling through her phone waiting for her chemistry class to start. So far, her day had been typical. Her alarm woke her up in the morning, she got dressed, made her own breakfast as her twin step brothers threw their toys over her head in the kitchen trying to annoy her. She dodge them all at their amusement until her stepmother stopped them, restraining them down to the dinner table. Without another word, Annabeth got in her car and drove herself to school. School went as school always went, which was great but now she was nervous about her potential chemistry partner. She was hoping she wouldn't be stuck with one of her friends. Not because she didn't like her friends, in fact it was the exact opposite, but because they would distract her or wouldn't pull their own weight during the project, feeling that Annabeth's intellect was enough to pull them through a passing grade. She was scared, also, that if it wasn't one of her friends, then that person would be unable to work with her and that this would affect her grade in a negative way. All in all, Annabeth preferred working alone. Nobody could hold you back if that was the case.

 _Calypso: Cheer practice tonight, don't forget! Game on Friday, so don't be late. Lots to do. xx_

 ** _Annabeth: Don't worry, you know I never forget._**

 _Calypso: Perf. Good luck in Chem, I got Leo as my partner last period. ;) Hope you're lucky in yours!_

Annabeth doesn't reply, continuing her endless scroll on facebook. She hears the chair beside her scraping agains the floor in that annoying noise it always makes. Her eyes glance up and she's surprised to see Percy Jackson taking a seat next to her. She sets her phone down, sitting up straight as her hand goes up to fix her hair a little as she gives him a small smile. She can't tell if he smiled back, half his face being covered by his hood but there is an unmistakable grunt that escapes his lips as he sits down, as if he was in pain. She bite her lip staring at him curiously. How could she not when he is a mystery to everyone around him. Was he going to be a good partner? Would he pull his own weight? Would he be smart enough to keep up with her and contribute to whatever this project would be about? If this was a joint project in musical theory, she has no doubts that all the answers to her questions would be yes. After hearing him play for the first time, she always tried to hear glimpses of his work and his talent when she stayed after school. He was kind of her guilty pleasure. Hearing him play was breathtaking at times and she was sure that others would react similarly if they ever heard him play. No matter, this was not musical theory and for all she knew, he would be the worst chemistry partner she had ever had. She turns her attention to the front of the class when the bell rings, indicating the start of class. The teacher starts handing out papers, two per table, one per student before going back to the front of the class.

"Each team has received 3 optional topics for the end of semester project. This project will be worth 35% of your grade, so it is paramount that you choose your topics wisely. Each team has been presented with different topics as to avoid plagiarism. You will discuss and research the topics you have been given, exemplify the research through an experiment which will be presented in front of the class at the end of term, along with a 15 minute oral presentation on the experiment and research you have done. You must also hand in a written report of the experiment and the presentation. You have, as I said, until the end of the semester, which gives you a month and a half to work on this and you may sign up for lab times at the end of each class to practise the experiment. I will let you have this class to discuss your options and get to know your partners if you don't already know them but next class, we will return to the scheduled course load" He says writing down most of what he was saying in point form on the board before turning back to face them, offering them a smile before letting their attentions drift to their partners, the noise level of the class going up amongst all the chattering. Annabeth stares over at Percy, who had remained quiet and unmoving. She looks down at her paper, writing her name down at the top before looking back up at him. He looks back at her, his face still partially covered before. He sits up straighter, rubbing the back of his neck over the hood of his jacket.

* * *

"So, Annabeth right?" He asks just trying to break the ice. Percy curses to himself at how stupid he sounded right about now. Of course she was Annabeth, everybody knew who she was. She was basically a golden child. Straight A student, cheerleader, ambitious and involved member of the student council. He looks back down at his paper as she offers him a strained smile as she nods.

"Percy right?" She retorts with a slight teasing grin at which he can't help but smile back as he nods. She taps her fingers against the table as they stay silent for a couple more moments.

"So I think that we should do a bit of background research on all subjects and see how much wealth of information is available for each before we decided, officially, what our subject matter will be." Her burst of enthusiasm and assertiveness takes him by surprise amidst their silence and he looks down at the paper. That would be a lot more work than he had anticipated but with the unquestioning look in her eyes made him believe that he shouldn't disagree with her. Maybe it would be best if she, of all people, could take precedent over this subject over him. She smiles widely as he nods and starts to ramble on all the different subjects. But Percy isn't really processing what he is saying. All he can think about is how his dyslexia and ADHD would affect this project and how that might affect his future here. If she found out and told all her little friends, they might come back to tease him for it. He taps his foot nervously as he stares at the questions on the page. They were really just letters on a page to him right now, his mind elsewhere. A perfectly manicured hand snaps its fingers in front of his face pulling him back to reality and he follows the hand up the arm to its owner to see a disappointed Annabeth staring down at him.

* * *

"Is everything okay?"

Percy agreeing to her ideas took Annabeth into overdrive. To her, him agreeing that they should do the extra research, even though that research would not be in debt enough to finish the project, meant that he was willing to pull his own weight. Without realizing, she started rambling on about the subjects, effectively taking the lead on the matter. Her rambling is soon stopped as Percy's eyes drift down to the paper and glaze over as he stares at the topics. She rolled her eyes. Great. How would she be able to get a good grade if he was going to have his head in the clouds all the time. She snaps her fingers in front of his face to get his attention.

"Everything okay?" She asks, the tapping of her fingers resuming, subconsciously showing her discontent at him. He sighs nodding fixing his hood as he giver her his attention once again. Seeing only half his face gave Annabeth the unsettling feeling that he was hiding something from her. But she wasn't one to pry so she shrugged it off.

"As I was saying, I think we should meet at the library twice a week while we get the research done before signing up for experiment time in the lab. I'll need your phone number so that we can get in contact if anything ever comes up and also to schedule the meetings." She says sliding her phone over to him unlocked on the contacts application. He takes the phone staring at the screen in focus as he inputs the information down on her phone. She frowns at him curiously as he takes some time to do so before handing her the phone back. She looks down at it before texting him so that he could have her number as well. She spent the rest of the class discussing the project with him, but if she's honest, she was doing most of the talking.

* * *

Cheerleading practice left her breathless, Calypso really pushing them as much as she possibly good. But just as her best friend, she was a perfectionist so she didn't really mind. While most of the squad and already showered and gone, not wanting to stay at school any more than they would have had to, Annabeth, Piper and Calypso took their time getting dressed.

"I feel like we need another guy on our team. I mean Will is great but there's a lack of symmetry you know." Calypso says as she applies her foundation, not glancing at Annabeth and Piper as she talks. Annabeth rolls her eyes at this statement as she slips on her shirt.

"Most of the guys here are too macho to set their pride aside and become a cheerleader and not all of them would be as flexible and amazing as Will is. And he's always so cheerful, not all guys are like that" Annabeth says Percy coming to mind as she speaks those last words.

"Especially not his boyfriend. I mean I just think it's hilarious how Will can be so bright and peppy while Nico is always so… gloomy. But they are so perfect together its crazy. Though not as perfect as me and Jason." Piper says teasingly making Annabeth and Calypso laugh. It was true. The day those two got together came as shock to everyone but the match was undeniably perfect.

"Speaking of matches, who did you get paired up with for the chem project?" Calypso asks Annabeth as she starts putting her make-up away, walking back to the bench the girls were sitting at, fully dressed and ready to go. Annabeth glances up at her friend shyly before looking down at her hands.

"I got paired with Percy. I'm not sure how its gonna pan out though, he seems king of spacey all the time and he barely said a word to me all class." She explains as she stands, grabbing her bag. Piper raises an eyebrow before glancing over at Calypso with a smirk.

"I think it's going to turn out perfect. I can picture it now, long night at the library hunched over the same book, meeting up at each others houses and reaching for some cookies, your hands gently touching as sparks run up your arms." Piper teases her putting her arms around her friends shoulder, making Calypso giggle but Annabeth glares.

"I ship it." Calypso says in a similar tone, agreeing with her friend. Annabeth shrugs off Pipers arms and rolls her eyes.

"There are more important things in life than boys. Besides, how are we suppose to get together, if he doesn't even talk to me" She says rolling her eyes.

"And that's not to say that I want to get together with him." She adds correcting herself.

"Uh-huh." Piper says smirking

"Sure." Calypso adds before Annabeth teasingly shoves them both. They all start laughing as they make their way to their respective cars. The end of the semester would be interesting.

 **A/N**

 **Hey guys! So as you can see I've been trying to update the story at a much faster pace than before and hopefully you are enjoying the update. I would love to get some feedback so don't be shy and review!**

 **I'm planning on updating this story at least 3 more times until the end of the year but with finals coming up, who knows what will happen.**

 **Thanks for reading! 3**


	5. Chapter 5

Percy was laying in bed later that evening when he heard his phone beep. He looked up from his book and reached on the nightstand for his phone.

New Message from Annabeth Chase

He sighs as he unlocks his phone and clicks on the notification to see the message itself.

 _Annabeth Chase: Hey Percy! Just wanted to see if you wanted to meet up tomorrow for the science project, Im available from 12 to 6! We could meet up at my place or meet up at yours? Maybe at the library? Just let me know if tomorrow works. If not, maybe after school next week? Again, just let me know!_

Percy stares down at the message biting his lip. He was free tomorrow but did he really want to spend part of his Saturday studying? He hears Gabes footsteps outside his door, as he walks towards the kitchen and looks back down at his phone. Anything was better than staying here with Gabe maybe roaming around the house. He quickly sets out to write his message. He sighs as he looks down at his keyboard taking it slowly not wanting to embarrass himself.

 **Percy: Hey, tomorrow is good. Your place or the library. You can pick. 12 is fine.**

He realizes how cold he may sound but its only just because he wanted to make sure everything was clear and well written. He sighs as he sends the message and sets the phone away. He runs his hand through his hair looking down at the work he had before him. Fucking gibberish all of it. He pushes the plank of wood off his lap and lays back down on his back looking up at the ceiling. He hears his phone beep and he pulls it up to his face seeing she had replied.

 _Annabeth: Perfect. My parents and brothers will be out of town for the weekend but we'll have plenty of food. See you tomorrow Percy!_

This was followed by another text with her address on it. He manages to let out a little smile before closing his phone and closing his eyes, going to sleep. He wakes up the next morning to his alarm ringing at 11:15 am. He groans reaching over to the alarm clock to turn off the annoying noise. Sitting up, stretching, he looks around his room before going up to the commode and picking up a random shirt. He slips it on before getting into his jeans and grabbing his jacket. Picking up his bag from the floor, he walked out the door not saying a word to Gabe who was lying on the couch watching tv. He knew his mom wasn't there, probably having just left for work. Sometimes, he misses the years where it was just them. Of course he did, almost everyday. Life with Gabe was a constant struggle and he hated every minute of it. He steps out into the fresh air looking down at his phone to check the time. He had about 30 minutes to get to Annabeth's house but the bus was only going to get here in ten minutes, which would make him late. He groans knowing he had a better chance of making it there on time if he was going to walk there. Well, despite the exercise, it better than being late.

* * *

Annabeth looked down at her watch tapping her foot as she sat on the couch waiting for Percy. He was late. He was fifteen minutes late. Where the hell was he? She sighs looking down at her phone. Maybe she should text him. Just as she opened up her phone, the doorbell rang.

"Finally!" She mumbles rolling her eyes as she goes to answer the door. She opens the door and forces a smile at him. He was wearing dark jeans and a ratty comic book t-shirt, converses, and a leather jacket. Some black hair was sticking out of the cap he was wearing, which hid his eyes. While it looked like he had just thrown it on, he looked undeniably attractive. The fact that he wasn't even trying to just made him seem all the more attractive. He bites his lip, barely looking at her as he offers her a smile smile. She can't help but smile back at him.

"Hey, come on in!" She says stepping aside to let him in. He steps in the house and looks around rubbing the back of his neck. He could fit his apartment over three times in her house. It made him feel slightly self-conscious that they came from such different backgrounds. What would she think of him if she ever found out what kind of background he came from? He dismisses those thoughts determined to not let her find out much about him.

"Nice place." He says looking back at her as she closes the door.

"Oh um thanks. Are you hungry or do you want to wait a little bit before eating?" She asks as she leads them into the living room. He sits down on the three person couch, leaving the middle space open between them as he sets the bag down at his feet.

"Maybe um… later I guess? I'm not really hungry right now." He says his hands clenching together a little. He was a little nervous about being in her house. She looks over at him and says that he should probably take off his hat since he was inside. He sighs and and puts his hand on top of the hat hesitating if he should or not. On one hand, if he did, he would be showcasing his bruised eye but if he didn't, he would be being rude. His mother always taught him to take off his hate when he was inside someone else's home as a sign of respect. Against his better judgement, he decided to take the hat off. He regretted it instantly as he heard her gasp.

"Percy, oh my god, what happened to your eye?" She says scotching closer to him putting her hand on his cheek. He freezes at the touch and seemingly so does she. Annabeth didn't know what went through her head when she did that, it had been almost instinctual. She had always hated seeing others hurt and now to see that giant bruise on his face, she couldn't help it. He leans backwards a little as she pulls her hand back mumbling a sorry. He runs his hand through his hair looking over at her.

"It's nothing. Really I just… I slipped and hit my eye on my doorknob." He explains, giving her the same lie he told her mother. For some reason, Annabeth didn't believe him. Maybe it was because his story sounded bogus, or maybe it was the fact that it seemed almost impossible for that to happen in real life but she decided not to press the subject yet, no matter how curious she was. He stares at the floor, glancing up at her every now and then for a couple of seconds. She offers him a shy smile as she takes her chemistry textbook off the table, pulling it into her lap.

"All the basic information we are going to need will be in here. And then, once we figure out the subject matter, we can meet at the library to research it more in debt. Sounds like a good plan?" She asks biting her lip. He givers her a quick, small nod before pulling out his own book. They start researching the different topics together, taking a small break every hour to munch on some food. Around 4pm, Annabeth realized they really weren't as far ahead as she had hoped they would be and looking over at Percy she realized why. He was staring intently at the textbook, a confused yet focused look on his face. She scootched a little closer to him, making him look up at her. She offers him a small smile.

"Do you need any help understanding the material? You're looking a little confused." She says as his face goes pale. He hadn't thought she had noticed and it wasn't so much as he didn't understand the materials, which he kind of did… partially… It was that he was having a really hard time reading it. Reading plain old english books was hard enough but with chemistry the words were much more complex and the equations were endless. He looks back down at the textbook and shakes his head.

"No, I'm fine really." He lies trying to go back to focusing on the textbook. Annabeth frowns at him, not really wanting to take no for an answer.

"Really Percy, I can help!"

"I'm fine!"

"I insist!" They go back and forth for a while until Percy can't help but blurt it out.

"I'm dyslexic!" He almost yells in her face as she was about to say something. She stares at him eyes wide as he looks down at his book embarrassed, his face flushed.

"I'm dyslexic, that's why… that's why I'm so slow… that's why I'm confused… It's hard for me to read these books. To read anything really." He barely whispers slamming his book shut. Annabeth bites her lip as she gets over the initial shock of it all. She hesitates before putting her hand on his shoulder comfortingly.

"Percy, it's okay. I can't imagine how hard it is to have dyslexia, but there are ways for you to get some help with this. I could help you with this…" She finds herself suggesting to him. It wasn't unlike her to offer her help to her friends, because she also learned by helping others. But could she really consider Percy her friend? Regardless of this, he looked like he needed the help and she felt compelled to help him.

"How could you possibly help me?" He asks her tensing up, feeling like her help was only offered because she pitied him. He didn't like it when people pitied him. While he might not be the most confident and joyful person in the world, he knew he could always count on himself. He had always solved his own problems and was strong enough to keep doing so. Her pity was not necessary. Annabeth feels his shift in attitude as he tenses and she squeezes his shoulder softly. Pain shot through his arm, not that he would let her notice that.

"I could tutor you? I know it won't help with the dyslexia itself but it could help you understand the material better. And I would be happy to do it, really." She says giving him a smile. He looks at her skeptically. He really didn't know what to do at this point. He wasn't used to people being so nice to him out of blue like that, but she seemed genuine. But his plan for the year was to keep his head down, would being tutored by her change that? He closed his eyes sighing before nodding.

"Alright…" He says not really knowing what else he could say to her at this point. It felt right to make this choice. When he thought about his mom, his future, if Annabeth could help him down the right path then he would definitely accept her help. His mom would be happy at his grades, he'd finally be able to stay in one school until he graduated. And who knows, maybe he would even be able to get into college and help his mom leave Gabe behind. They continued their research, working together from the same book now, so she could help Percy with the material. They were sitting rather close to one another when the front door opens up to reveal Piper and Calypso. Calypso raises an eyebrow as Piper smirks at the both of them. Annabeth, blushing, moves to sit a bit further away from Percy as she looks at her friends.

"What are you guys doing here? I know the door is unlocked but don't you know how to knock?!" She says running her hands through her hair. Pipers smirk grows as she answers.

"We do and it's six o'clock. You invited us over so we could get ready for Jason and Thalia's party remember? Unless you'd rather… study all night." She says suggestively. Percy can't help but blush as she says that and unfortunately, neither can Annabeth. A moment of silence follows her statement but is broken by the sound of Percys' book closing shut. He slips it into his bag.

"I guess I should go then, wouldn't want to keep you from your um… your party." He says looking over at Annabeth.

"You could come too you know!" Calypso says, making Percy look over at her eyes wide. She was smiling at him encouragingly and Percy didn't really know what to do with that. Him? At a party? Was that really such a good idea? If he was doubtful about being tutored by Annabeth, nothing compared to what he felt now. He knew, if he went to this party, people would be staring at him. He would be doing the opposite of keeping his head down. Sitting so close to him, Annabeth could almost feel how nervous he was right now. She, again, put her hand on his shoulder to calm him down at bit.

"You don't have to if you don't want to. But I promise, if you are uncomfortable, you can leave whenever you want. I'll even drive you home." She says hoping it would convince him to come. Percy wasn't a bad guy, he was actually a lot of fun to hang out with. Even though they had just studied today, and he was still a little shy, she knew he was a genuinely nice guy. He was also an incredibly gorgeous guy and the fact that he didn't seem to know it made him all the more attractive. Percy gulps slightly as the three of them stared him down. He was not sure how he felt about the situation. On one hand, he wanted to run away and avoid it all. What if he caused some trouble at the party? What if he got himself into a fight? On the other hand, he was tired to being all alone. The little bit of information he had shared with Annabeth made him feel slightly lighter. It felt good to open up to someone who did not judge you or insult you about your insecurities. He felt like the could trust her, something that did not come easy to him. Finally, he caved.

"I guess… I guess it wouldn't hurt to go."


	6. Chapter 6

Percy shocked not only the girls but himself with his answer. Did he really just agree to go to a party with three of the most popular girls in school? What could he possibly hope to gain? But looking at the smile on Annabeths face somehow made him feel much better about his decision. Before he had anytime to process why that was the case, Calypso sat herself down in front of him on the coffee table.

"We need to get you ready!" She said excited that he was finally opening up to them. Percy, however, frowns at her before looking down at himself. Sure his jeans were a little faded and his royal blue comic tee was a little simple but this was one of his favorite shirts! Surely it wasn't that bad.

"Can't I just go like this?" He asked making Calypso laugh slighter at how cute he sounded and looked when he asked that. His face was scrunched up in confusion, a small frown on his lips. Piper giggles at that as well, Annabeth setting her hand on his arm.

"Percy, you look great!" She says smiling at him as they both look at one another. He blushed slightly at the compliment but his attention was soon turned away from her.

"It's more that giant bruise we are worried about. How in the hell did you manage that?" Piper asks curiously. It looked pretty bad. He was lucky his eye had not swelled up like crazy. Percy, suddenly feeling self-conscious again, looking away from them leaning back into the couch.

"I fell." He states simply not wanting to give anything else away. Annabeth, Calypso and Piper share a look, all knowing this to be a lie. Piper looking like she wanted to press the issue but one glare from Annabeth shut her up. Instead, she coughs to get his attention and smiles at him petting his knee.

"No matter, a quick touch up and your complexion will be just like normal!"

* * *

Percy looking at himself in the mirror of the first floor bathroom. He gently touched the skin around his sore eye, feeling weird that he had so much make up on to cover it up. It didn't look like he had any on though, which he was thankful for. He looked at Piper who stood next to him, applying lipstick.

"You sure nobody will notice?"

Over the last two hours, he and Piper had gotten to know each other. While Calypso had dragged Annabeth upstairs to get dressed and ready, Piper and Percy had stayed downstairs to get ready. She had already been dressed so they spent the first hour eating Annabeths food and talking. He was incredibly reluctant to open up to her and it still was unusual for him to have opened up to her as much as her. This isn't to say that he was now an open book, but she had managed to pull quite a bit out of him. He had told her about his mother, about his previous schools and how it had always been hard for him to make friends because he was constantly being kicked out and made fun off. The subject had come up when she had asked him why he had come to Goode and why he was so closed off. She had pried and pried until he had no choice but to admit why. This, in turn, lead Piper to tell him that she knew how he felt. Her father, Tristan McLean, was a big movie star and she open felt people only wanted to be her friend because of this, not to mention that he had moved her around a lot until he had finally settled in New York. She had closed herself off to others because of this but it had all changed when she transferred to Goode and met Annabeth and the girls. All her current friends had been very inviting and accepting and she told him that she knew they would be the same with him if he just put in the minimal effort required to make friends. Of course, she knew it was not exactly the same thing but she did understand how it felt to want to close yourself off because of your past. However, she felt it was important to open to the right people because it felt so much better to be surrounded by people who accepted you rather than being alone with all your feelings bottled up inside. He told her he'd think about it. He was pretty sure though that he would spend the entire party in a corner watching everybody have fun. Regardless, it felt good to open up to someone who understood him.

About an hour ago, Piper had decided it was time to start getting ready and had sat him down in a chair before working her magic. It took half an hour of flinching and cursing before Piper had finally managed the perfect cover up for his eye. And she had spend the next half hour perfecting her makeup, only just putting on the finishing touches.

She looks at him through the mirror and smiles slightly as she closes her tube of lipstick.

"Percy just breathe okay? Nobody will notice, everything will be fine. You will have so much fun and you won't have to always be alone from now on if you just let us be your friends." She says comfortingly. His insecurities were adorable but she felt he shouldn't worry as much as he did. Her friends weren't like the people he had described from his old school. That she knew for sure. He looks at her hesitantly before nodding slowly. They both exit the large bathroom before going to the living room. He turned his head towards the stairs as he heard Calypso and Annabeth come down. While he noticed how beautiful Calypso looked, she was nothing compared to Annabeth who left him speechless. While she was only wearing jeans and a fitted t-shirt covered up by a jean jacket, she still looked absolutely stunning. Maybe it was her eyes, or the way her blonde hair was perfectly curled, he couldn't quite put his finger on it but the look on his face must have said it all before she blushed a deep red as Piper suggestively raised her eyebrows twice from beside him, not that he noticed. He was too busy staring at the grey eyed goddess in front of him.

"Stop drooling" Calypso whispers teasingly to him as she walks by him towards her bag. It was now his turn to blush as he looked away wiping his chin even though there was no drool. She laughs slightly and he turns back to Annabeth who was now standing in front of him.

"You look nice" He says smiling at her rubbing the back of his neck. She bites her lips smiling at him.

"Thanks, you look nice too. I mean, with your eye... it looks better." Annabeth says and she instantly feels like kicking herself. With your eye... what the hell was she thinking. She felt like such an idiot. They stand awkwardly and silently next to each other until Piper walks up to them.

"We should get going! Is it okay if we leave our stuff here for the night?" She asks Annabeth who nods.

"Of course!"

"Great! Now let's go!" Calypso says as she heads for the door. They all head out to Piper's car and drive to Jason's building. Piper parks the car in the garage and leads them towards the elevator. As soon as Percy stepped out of the elevator and into the two story penthouse, he looked around in awe. He could fit his apartment in here fifty times. The party was already in full swing and there were probably even more people on their way in. Piper, noticing the awestruck look on his face, jumped in to give an explanation.

"His dad owns Olympian Records, the big music company. If you think this is impressive, you should see their house in the Hamptons." She grins before her attention towards Jason who was walking up to them. Percy tried to remember why Olympian Records sounded so familiar to him. He felt like, to him, it was more than just a big recording company. He felt like he was somehow connected to this company. Or he was just crazy. Jason put his arms around Piper, kissing her with a large smile on his face.

"Hello gorgeous" He whispers as he pulls away from her. As she giggles, kissing his cheek, he turns his attention to the rest of them.

"Annabeth, Calypso, beautiful as always." He smiles just being his usual charming self. Annabeth rolls her eyes, a small smile on her lips while Calypso crosses her arms.

"Yah yah, where is Leo?" When Jason points in a certain direction, she starts making her way there, dragging Annabeth behind her. Percy just stands there, hands in his pockets when Jason finally turns his attention towards him. His eyes go wide at the site of Percy before he smiles even wider.

"Percy right? Hey glad you could make it!" He say holding out his hand for Percy to shake. Percy hesitantly pulls his hand out of his pocket and shakes Jason's hand.

"Uh yah... no problem... I mean sorry for crashing but the girls invited me..." He says nervously. Jason just laughs shaking his head.

"Hey don't worry about it. The more the merrier! Come on, let me introduce you to the guys." He says giving a Piper a kiss on the head before leading Percy away.

"You better save me a dance Grace!" Piper calls after him smiling making him laugh. He leads Percy to a group of guys sitting on the couches, some of them with their girlfriends.

"Guys! This is Percy, Percy this is Frank and his girlfriend Hazel, next to him you have Leo who is sucking faces with his girlfriend Calyspo. Nico, my cousin, and his boyfriend Will, Chris and Clarisse, they are also dating. Travis and Connor, the devil twins as we like to call them even if they aren't actually twins, my sister Thalia, Reyna, and finally Annabeth and her half-brother Malcolm!" He says pointing to each person respectively as he introduces them. Percy was definitely surprised at the amount of couples in their little group but at the same time he also wasn't. It was only natural for the significant others of ones friends to also be their friends right? He glances at each of them as they smile at him, greeting him with hellos. His eyes stop on Nico who was talking to Will about something and he got that feeling again. That feeling, where for some reason, this person was familiar to him. He also got that feeling when he looked at Jason and when he heard Piper mention Olympian records. Percy didn't know what to do with that. After a moment, he realizes he still hadn't greeted any of them back.

"Um hi." He says before looking towards Jason who was still smiling at him. How can someone be so smiley? Jason pulls him down to sit between him and Annabeth. She turns to look at him, her hand running through her hair.

"Long time no see." She teases him making him relax slightly as Jason tries to pull him into a conversation.

* * *

The party had gone really well for him. He had gotten to know them all a little bit better and realized Piper had been right, they weren't like the other kids from his older schools and he had been enjoying himself. He had gotten along pretty well with Jason with whom he spent most of the night talking unless Jason was with Piper. He had also talked with Annabeth, the possibly only other sober person at the party. Being able to talk to her and open up to her, like he had done with Piper, made him feel much more at ease with himself and with her as well. It also helped that they were both sober at this party. Knowing what alcohol had done to Gabe, and the negative effects it has had on his life in general, made him want to steer clear of all the beer and liquor around him. But he didn't need alcohol to have a good time. He had one of the best nights of his life without it and he couldn't have been more thankful to Annabeth, Piper and Calypso for that night.

He ended up having the take a cab home because Piper had been too intoxicated to drive and he knew he had to be there in the morning when Gabe woke up so he wouldn't know that Percy had been out all night. He open the door to the apartment slowly, as to not wake Gabe who could have been asleep on the couch but what he wasn't expecting was that Gabe was awake and drunk, waiting up for him.

"It's 3 am, where have you been all night you little shit?"

 _ **A/N. Happy New Years guys! I realize thats tonight for some of you and it's already passed for others but regardless. I hope you enjoyed this update and please leave reviews!**_


	7. Chapter 7

Don't look up.

Head down, straight to your locker.

 ** _Don't look up_** **.**

"Percy!" He hears a voice call from behind him but he ignores it. He fixes his backpack on his shoulder and starts walking faster hoping to avoid contact with whoever it was who had called him. He should have known it was to good to be true that he would get it his way when a hand placed itself on his shoulder making him stop in the middle of the hallway. Jason walks to place himself in front of him a large smile on his face.

"Hey man!" Jason greets him but Percy takes a step back. Because of them… because of their party… he had gotten the worst beating in his life by far. Yes it was partially his fault, he had agreed to attend the party but… they had convinced him. Gabe had been careful not to hit his face but his entire body still ached and hurt from his beating. He didn't want to blame them, really he didn't but it was easier to distance himself from them if he did blame them. If he was attached, he'd probably be invited to more parties and more outings… which would lead to more beatings. Distance. He needed distance.

"You okay?" Jason asks him noticing the fact that he still hadn't answered. Percy nods rubbing his neck.

"Um… yah, yah I'm fine. I just… I have a thing." Percy mumbles before quickly walking away towards where his class was leaving Jason standing there, wondering what had just happened.

* * *

Lunch was an even harder time. He had decided to eat outside and avoid everybody who might want to talk to him. That was unfortunately not the right strategy for him to have because they found him anyway and sat around the tree with him all at once.

"Hey Percy!" Piper chimed smiling at him. He didn't return the smile and stood up making her and everybody else frown.

"Percy what's wrong?" Annabeth asks looking up at him. He almost felt bad for what he was about to say next.

"Nothing except for the fact that I just want to be left alone. I was perfectly fine before you all came along." He said, talking mostly to himself but also to them. And he wasn't talking about today, he was talking about the party they had. But from the look of confusion on their face, he knew they didn't get that but he honestly didn't care. Instead off enlightening them, he simply decided to walk away. Percy ignored them as they called after him. He felt a pang in his chest but told himself not to look back. He yearned to have them as friends, Saturday night had, after all, been one of the best nights of his life. But it had also been one of the worse. So why put himself through that again? Why live that high only to be put back so low when he was away from them. It made it all so much worse. Back at the tree, they all watched him walk away frowning. Jason was the first to speak up.

"He did the same thing this morning when I saw him. What the hell happened, I mean we had so much fun on Saturday!" He says leaning back against the trunk of the tree. Leo shrugged as Calypso lay her head on his lap.

"Maybe he was drunk and now that he's sober he realized he doesn't actually like us." He suggested but that didn't sit right with any of them.

"But he never picked up a single drink... he was sober the whole night." Annabeth corrects him. Percy was a mystery wrapped within another mystery and just when you think you have him figured out, he makes you realize that you never knew anything about him in the first place.

"There's something else about him though... something familiar I can't quite put my finger on." Nico says frowning and looking at his cousin who nodded along at his statement.

"He's right. And I guess that's why this is bothering me so much." Jason says before sighing.

"Why don't you try to talk to him Annabeth? I mean, you're the reason he was there on Saturday in the first place right? Maybe he'll open up to you, or at the very least, you'll get him to see reason." Piper says looking over at her best friend. Annabeth sigh nodding.

"I'll see if I can try and get him to talk to be but right now, chances look pretty slim"

* * *

Percy knew his mother would be home that night so he headed straight to his crap hole apartment. As soon as he walked in, he was greeted by the sweet smell of his mothers chocolate chip cookies which brought an instant smile on his face. His mother poked her head out of the kitchen as she heard the door close and smiles brightly at her son.

"Hey mom" He says walking over to her. She immediately wraps him into a hug and he just melts in her arms. His mother was his greatest comfort and nothing could be wrong when she was around. She runs her hands through his hair a small smile on her face.

"How was your day?" She asks softly as they pull out of the hug. He offers her a tight smile.

"We had a pop quiz in one of my classes but I think I did okay, at least good enough to pass." He says as his eyes wander towards the tray of cookies sitting on the stove. His hand reaches out for one, only to get slapped away by his mothers own hand.

"Not yet Perce, they just came straight out of the oven." She says, a smile on her face.

"Make any new friends yet?" She asks as he frowns up at her, since he wasnt able to get the cookies he so desired. He shrugged slightly as he let his backpack slide off his shoulders and onto the floor.

"Not really." Was the only response he gave her. Now it was her turn to frown at him. Sally knew and understood that the troubles Percy got into where never of his own volition. He had always been pushed until he was at a point where he couldn't help but push back. Sometimes, kids would do things and blame Percy and it was hard for the school board to believe in Percy's innocence considering the "record" he had accumulated and the "eye witnesses" of those troublesome events. It killed her to see her son act the way he did now because of what others had done to him in the past. He was too scared to open up because that might, for whatever reason, lead him into more trouble and he knew that this school was possibly his last chance. It killed her to see her son so withdrawn and upset. She leaned in and kisses his head while rubbing his back.

'Why not honey? I know... I know you've been through a lot but you can't just close yourself off from the world. You are such an amazing boy and you have such an amazing heart..." She says stroking his hair, concerned.

"You always say that mom, but the thing is... it's just easier this way." Percy mumbles. He knew he couldn't hide much from his mother. She could see right through him, knowing that it wasn't easier. It was a big emotional toll on him to seclude himself from everybody. He didn't want to be alone, but he felt like he had to be.

"Is it really? What is the worse that could happen Percy? If you are scared of losing all that you have, you shouldn't have that fear. Because you wont. I will always be here for you Percy and if you make friends that are worthy enough to understand you and get to know you and love you like I do, then they so would they. You have nothing to fear from gaining friends. If trouble finds you then who cares. Isn't all that joy worth a little bit of pain? Isn't it worth knowing you'll have friends who will stick by you through it all? Percy I know it's hard... I know you don't want to get into any kinds of trouble... that you don't want to disappoint me... but honey I could never, ever, feel that way about you. You are my little boy and you are my world... I just want to see you happy... no matter what." Sally says just letting it all out there. She wanted to see her son happy. She wanted him to have everything he could have ever wanted. That was why she had stayed with Gabe all this time. Because despite the fact that he was a terrible man, he helped pay the bills. Despite the fact that he beat her every night because he was too drunk and to angry to think like a decent human being, she endured those beatings for the sake of her son, to protect him and allow him to be able to go to school. Without Gabe's financial help, despite all his gablings, she doubted that she would even be able to afford anything and she was scared that social services would have taken him away. Her first husband, Poseidon, had never left a will, not anticipating his early death and his possessions and money were repossessed by the state until Percy turned 18 because as his son, he was entitled to his fathers possessions when he reached maturity. So Sally only had to put up with Gabe until Percy was able to go out on his own at the age of 18. Only until then. But she wasn't going to let her son suffer and be unhappy.

Percy looked up at his mother, who looked more pensive then he had ever seen her before sighing. He knew that she was right, she was always right. But she didn't know how much pain, she didn't know that Gabe was his pain, that Gabe beat him up. She didn't know... but she was still right.

"I'll try mom, I promise." He whispered hugging her again. She hugs him back tightly, blinking back tears. She kisses his head quickly wiping her eyes before he could see her tears and pulls back smiling at him.

"Let's have some cookies then okay?"

* * *

 _ **A/N: Hey everybody! Sorry for the long update and this kind of shitty chapter I'm quickly dropping. School started so soon and I got crazy overwhelmed by it and work. This is really just a filler and I'm going to have a lot of stuff going on, more Percabeth for sure, Jason and Percy interactions, so don't even worry about it. Ill have it up within the next two weeks, probably next weekend hopefully. Thanks for reviewing and letting me know how Im doing. I cherish all my supporters. Thank you all so much.**_


	8. Chapter 8

**_A/N. Hey everyone! I really apologize for this incredibly overdue chapter. I have been dealing with a lot of personal stuff in the last months and it's been really hard for me. I hope you all understand. I'm a better state right now, so hopefully I will be able to get the chapters in as fast as possible. I have big plans for this story and I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter! I should have the next one out soon._**

 ** _Please comment, favourite and/or follow if you enjoyed it! I love getting feedback!_**

* * *

The very next way went exactly as the last, at least the morning did. Percy avoided everybody like the plague all through lunch and during free period, wasting no time after art class to head into a private cubicle to practice some piano. He didn't want to eat if it meant the chance of him having the face them. While he was considering following his mothers advice, he didn't feel like he was ready to just jump back into it. Certainly not after how he had been treating them. If anything, at this point, what he was feeling right now was comprised of half the fear he felt before, half the fear of their rejection in retribution to how he had been treating them. And he knew they probably wouldn't understand if he tried to explain it to them, how could they without knowing the full story. But none of this seemed to matter as soon as his hands touched the piano. The beautiful melody that filled the room melted all his worries away. His only focus was the movement of his fingers and sound of the music. The only other times he could feel the way he did now was when he thought of his father and when he was swimming, something he and his father did together often. But now his father was gone, and so only the things that connected Percy to him brought him relief and escape from the world he was forced to live in. His relief was so strong that he forgot his surroundings and felt only utter bliss.

"That is beautiful." A voice says from behind him breaking his concentration, his fingers freezing mid motion as he recognized who's voice it was. Annabeth hesitantly makes her way to his bench, biting her lip before sitting next to him, choosing to ignore how tense he was.

"You left the door open… and I couldn't help but overhear you playing. I've never heard that song before… did you write it?" She asks as his hands slide to his side. He places them under his thighs looking down at the keys, refusing to glance back at her.

"What are you doing here Annabeth?" He doesn't give her anything else, only wanting to be left in peace. This response earns him a sigh from the blonde next to him.

"Percy… I'm just worried about you. I mean, we had such a great time this weekend and now you wont give any of us the time of day? I just… I don't understand." And that was something she hated. She hated not being able to understand his thought process. His decisions were completely irrational and she could not see the logic in his rejection of them.

"Why do you need to understand? It was my decision and I really don't care if you are at ease with it or not." He knew he was being harsh but he felt like it would be the only way to get rid of her. He was wrong. If anything, his answer only fuelled her fire.

"I need to understand because believe it or not, I kind of care about you. You are such a nice guy and seeing you interact with everyone on Saturday just… you looked incredibly happy and now you look like the exact opposite of that. Why would you put yourself through something like that? Is it something we did? Because we were just trying to get you to open up Percy. Nobody should have to be alone, nobody should have to be so miserable. We all deserve a chance to be the best we can be and right now, you don't seem at your best. But you did on Saturday. So I need to understand why you would regress into your state of loneliness?" She says persistently. It had been so clear to all of them, in the last 24 hours, that the state of loneliness he had put himself in was greatly comprised of misery as it seemed different than the previous state of loneliness he had held throughout the beginning of the year. He was constantly tense, a permanent frown placed on his face, his shoulders aways slumped down, his head low. He just seemed very different. Percy stays quiet contemplating what to answer. Before he could even reply, she puts her hand on his shoulder in such a delicate manner he almost doesn't even feel it.

"You don't have to answer right now Percy but just… think about what I said ok? I may not know you that well but I know that you don't have to be so closed off. You seem like a good guy. And good guys deserve to be happy, regardless of whether or not they believe it themselves. So just think about." She says softly before squeezing his shoulder. While she was trying to be comforting, she ended up squeezing a relatively sore spot making him flinch in pain. Annabeth took notice but didn't think it was in pain, rather attributing it to his discomfort of her presence. So rather than cause him any more discomfort, she decided to head out, giving him one last smile before going back to her Calypso and Piper who were waiting for her at the library since they also had a free period.

"What did you get stuck in the stall or something?" Piper asks raising an eyebrow as she sits back down next to them. Annabeth rolls her eyes faking a laugh, not responding to the question.

* * *

Percy was sad the leave the piano behind in order to make his way to gym class. He made it a point to arrive late in order to avoid the stares his bruises might get him from the other guys in the locking room. He knew, however, that Apollo would bail him out if anything because he was his pupil and he 'needed time to exercise his musical genius'. His words, not Percy's. Percy felt that, despite the fact this it annoyed his gym teacher to no end to have him constantly be late, the man had grown used to it by now and knew better than to threaten him with detention. Percy wanted to milk every moment of this peace before the heyday of gym class. He took off his first and shoved it in the locker before pulling out a new one. Before he was able to put it on, he was stopped by a voice.

"What happed to your… everything?" Jason says from being him not being able to stop himself from staring at Percy's very bruised back. He himself had been late because he had gotten delayed by Piper who had insisted on a bit go a private time together before their classes. He usually wasn't one for such things but he found it incredibly hard to resist his girlfriend this time around. It was almost as if her voice was magic as she pleaded for him to stay. He was more than glad he did, not only because of what just happened but also… also because he had walked into this. An incredibly bruised Percy who was now facing him, a shocked look on his face. He was quick to put his shirt on and turn away from Jason again.

"Nothing, that was nothing." Percy says slipping off his pants and quickly putting on shorts. Jason walks closer to him and puts his hand on his shoulder.

"Percy, it's not nothing. You're back… its so many different colours. Purple, blue, yellow… it looks painful. What happened… when did it happen?" Jason pleads wanting to know exactly what happened because how could a strong looking man like Percy let something like that happen to him. It didn't seem right.

"Jason, leave me alone." Percy says as he avoids looking at the other boy in the locker room.

"I can't leave this alone Percy. You look seriously hurt!"

"Well it's non of your damn business. It's not like we are friends so you can leave me alone!" Percy snaps, yelling in his face. Jason steps back surprised, giving Percy enough time to make his way into the gym cursing at himself for snapping at him. Jason stands there for a moment before looking down at his watch realizing how late he was.

* * *

Annabeth could tell something was troubling Jason as they sat together at lunch the very next day. His eyes kept shifting over to Percy, who was sitting outside in the courtyard along, his head hidden in his arms as he laid it down on the table, his hood covering him from the blinding sun, a rare occasion for an mid-october day. Jason caught her eye as he shifted his gaze away from Percy once more, to which she responds by raising her eyebrow questioningly at him. While his arm ways around Piper and he was still partaking in the conversation being held at the table, which was typical behaviour for Jason, he still seemed incredibly distracted to Annabeth, and it was clear to her it had something to do with Percy. Jason bites his lip as he holds her gaze wondering if he should say something to her. He wanted to tell someone about what he say because, at this point in time, he had no idea what to do with the information he had. Should he try to confront Percy again? Should he tell an adult about what he had seen? Was Percy in some kind of danger? Was he abused? Was he in some sort of martial arts club and had lashed out at Jason simply because he was mad at them for something else? He had honestly no idea what to think but maybe sharing this information with Annabeth was a good idea. She was the most rational, level headed person he knew and if he could tell anybody, it would have to be her. She was also the one who had introduced Percy to their group and maybe, just maybe, she knew something about this.

"Later" He mouths to her before returning to the conversation at hand. Annabeth gives him a slight now, her curiosity growing. What could Percy have done to have caused Jason to be so distracted? She snuck a glance at Percy, who's head was still hidden, and she sighed. She would just have to find out later.

After lunch, Annabeth followed Jason into an empty classroom where he turned to face her, hesitating slightly before finally opening up.

"Percy and I, we are both in the same Gym class and yesterday, I was running late. When I got into the locker rooms, he was also there, being late as usual, but... Annabeth, his back, his chest and his arms+ where covered in bruises. Some of them looked fresh but others looked like they were much older. He got really defensive when I asked him about and now I don't know what to do. I don't even know what this means." Jason confesses to her in a low voice. Annabeth was definitely shocked at the information that had just been handed to her. Of all the things she had expected his to say, this had never crossed her mind. She pursed her lips, her eyebrows creasing as she started to think about this, processing the information at hand. She looks up at Jason, who was anxiously waiting for her response.

"I think it's best if, for now, you don't say anything, not to Percy or to anyone else. We don't have the full story right? So it's no use worrying over nothing. But, I'm going to try to talk to Percy. Maybe I can try to figure out what's going on without alarming him too much, or doing anything to rash." Annabeth says biting her lip. She was starting to get a clearer picture of the situation, the more she though about it. But she knew that it would also be important to respect Percy's privacy. If Jason wasn't on to anything, it would be better that way. Or at least, until she was sure of everything. They both head off to class, Annabeth mind working a thousand miles an hour to sort this out.


	9. Chapter 9

**_A/N. The actions committed by the characters in the chapter are carried out in this manner for_ plot purposes only _. This is not a recommendation of how to deal with situations like this. Again, they are for_ plot purposes only _. If you are dealing with situations like this one, there are resources that you can use depending on where you live. I hope everybody is doing well and that you are having a great weekend._**

 ** _I want to thank you everyone who reads and supports this story. In the last three days, I have had over three thousand reads. I never thought this story would be still read. I am so thankful and I appreciate every single one of you for reading. Thank you all so much. I'm planning to update twice a week from now on, if my exam schedule can support it. Thanks and comment, favourite, review._**

Annabeth knew where to find Percy at the end of the day. The conclusion she had come to had been bothering her ever since she figured it out, but she didn't want to believe it was true. It should not be. After what he had told her at the party on Saturday, when he opened up about his family life, mostly talking about his amazing mother, she found it hard to believe that his mother would let him be hurt like this. She knew he often got into trouble, ever since his father died. She knew he had a stepfather, however briefly Percy had mentioned him and by that she meant that he had only mentioned him once simply by stating he had one, giving her no other information whatsoever. So how could such an amazing mother like his, if she was truly as she had been described by her son, choose to live with a man who could hurt her child like the way Annabeth thought he might be hurting Percy? How could she let her husband hurt her only child? Unless, of course, she did not know. The more she thought about it the more it made sense. Percy always getting in trouble in the past, the way he distanced himself from everyone, the bruise on his eye, the way he praised his mother and yet barely talked about her husband... the way he flinched when she squeezed his shoulder, it all lead her to believe that Percy Jackson was being abused at home, not by his mother, but by the man she had chosen to spend the rest of her life with.

As she approached the music cubicles, she heard a beautiful, yet sad, melody ring through the halls. She was assuming that Percy had left the door open again as the rooms were usually soundproof. She slowly made her way to where he was playing and waited for him to be finished. Watching him play, it was like nothing she had ever seen before. He looked like he belonged in this moment, having been perfectly crafted to play this instrument. As his fingers danced along the keys, there was an elegance to him she never thought she could ever witness. His facial expressions mirrored the melody through the emotions he conveyed, his movements seeming completely natural and effortless. It was immaculate. The aura of peace that reigned in the room when he finished was something she did not want to disturb, it would almost feel wrong to do so. But she knew she had no choice. It had to be now. She opened the door slightly wider to be able to get in but before she could even say anything to make him notice her presence, the hinges of the door creaked slightly doing that for her. His head snaps in her direction and she looks almost ashamed for disturbing his peace. Almost. But Annabeth was a headstrong, driven women. If she wanted something done, it got done and this conversation needed to happen.

"Why can't you people ever leave me alone?" Percy asks, breaking the silence that had set between them. She takes a deep breath, stepping forward and closing the door behind her.

"Because we care about you." She says moving slightly closer as Percy scoffs. She glares slightly as he does so, annoyed at his disbelief in her words.

"Care about me? You don't even know me... none of you do" He says, whisper the last part. She almost didn't hear him but she was glad that she did.

"I know you. Maybe not on a deeper personal level but I do know you. I know you are dyslexic. I know you have a mother who loves you. I know she's basically your entire world other than music. I know your father died when you were young... and I know that you have a step father, who for some reason, thinks it's okay to hurt and abuse a great guy like you, an amazingly gifted man who doesn't deserve that kind of pain and suffering." She says, and her words held nothing but the truth. Nobody deserved to suffer something like this. Percy was so kind, something she could tell from the little time she had been able to spend with him, and he was one of the most gifted musicians she had ever had the pleasure to witness.

Percy tensed up, his body reflecting the shock he felt at her confession, his reaction letting her know that she had been right about her conclusions on the matter. A million thoughts were going through his head right now. How did she know? Had she told anybody? Did she think he was weak now? Was she pitying him for his current situation?

"Jason told me what he saw yesterday Percy and I guess I was able to piece everything else together from your behaviour and what you told me.." She says taking a seat next to him after he doesn't say anything. He moves away from her, going to stand in the corner of the room not knowing what to do with himself at the moment. Annabeth takes his silence as an invitation to continue speaking.

"I haven't told anybody yet, because I wasn't sure. But I am now... Percy, you don't have to keep going through this... You can... You can talk to people, you can tell the police... they can take care of this for you." She says trying to show him that he had options. How long had this been going on and how long would he keep letting it happen? She didn't know but she felt like he should know it didn't have to go on for another second.

"Tell the police? He would tell them I'm a liar, that my bruises come for fights because I'm a troubled kid. My so-called history is proof of that! You know nothing of how this feels, about how hard it is for me everyday to know that when I go home, I'm not safe as long as he is there. I have to do this. I have to do this because nobody would believe me. If I told, if I wrong him in anyway, he would go after my mother! I have to go through this so she won't have to! I can't let him hurt her! If I told, he knows they would blame her for bringing him into my life and they would take me away from her! I can't... I won't ever let that happen!" He yells at her, tears forming in his eyes, slowly trailing down his cheeks as he rants off about why he lets Gabe treat him the way he does. He did not have a choice. Whatever choice Annabeth thought he thought he had, he didn't. No matter how he went about it, his mom would end up getting hurt, or he would end of up getting hurt even more than he did. Everything he said, he believed to be true and Annabeth could see that. But she knew that there was no way he should have to suffer through this. She didn't want him to. But what could she do? She knew she wanted to convince him that he should still try to find a way out of this but how could she when he was so dead set on his beliefs? Annabeth felt like she was backed up against a wall where her gut and her head were telling her that Percy was being unreasonable and she had to tell someone. There was no way she should keep quiet about this. To keep Percy and his mother safe, it was important for that man to find himself being bars as soon as possible. But her heart went out to him, understanding how much pain this could bring him. He believed firmly in what he had said and, to her, all the possibilities he had listed could happen. But there were also other possibilities, possibilities Percy had not thought of. So what if she went to the police? Would they even believe her? She barely had any contact with Percy, she had never witnessed the abuse, she barely had proof of anything. It was possible it would not hold up, and that could put Percy in more trouble with his step-father. Annabeth did not know what to do at this point. She looked down at her hands and let out sigh.

"Is this the reason why you have been avoiding us? Because he did something or said something to you that made you act this way towards us?" She says, changing the subject slightly since she did not know how to respond to what he had said. Percy looks over at the blonde, his heart pounding in his chest. He wipes away his tears quickly, sniffling slightly. Should he tell her what happened? She already knew, but could he trust her with more? Could he trust her at all? She looks up at him, meeting his gaze. She could tell he was hesitant about opening up to her, and she understood that very well. It was only normal for him to have so many walls put up around him because of what he was going through. But she wanted him to know that he could trust her and so she told him.

"You can trust me Percy, I promise I won't tell anybody if that is what you want me to do, even if I still think you should." She says just trying to get him to open up to him. She feared the worse with this promise. What if his step father took things too far one night and Percy ended up seriously injured... What if he ended up dead because of this? Annabeth didn't even want to think of the other possible 'what if' situations her promise would lead to but she knew that if it did go that far, if Percy ended up seriously hurt, she would not hesitate to go to the police, no matter what he wanted. However, right now what mattered most to her right now was trying to get the man in front of her to a healthier and better state of mind, because that maybe, if she did so, he could see the situation from her perspective and do something about it. The determined look in her eyes made him believe her and he felt, despite his initial instinct, that he could trust her. Maybe it would be better to be able to open up to someone about this, to be able to talk to her whenever he needed to, to know that someone out there was looking out for him.

"When I got home on Saturday night, Gabe was awake... it was the worst beating I ever took... On some level, initially, I blamed you guys because if I had not gone to the party, maybe it would not have been so bad or it might not even have happened. Of course, it didn't take me too long to realize how much of an idiot I was being. It wasn't your fault... but mine... for staying out too late and for angering him." Percy explains looking down at his feet, his hands in his pocket. Annabeth's heart almost breaks at the confession. Right now, yes she did feel partially responsible. He was right, if they hadn't kept him out, it might not have happened, but she knew it was really Gabe's fault. That son of a bitch would not have even considered laying a hand on Percy if he was a decent human being. She stood up, walking over to the corner he was standing in.

"Percy... don't you dare blame yourself. Your step-father… what he is doing is not your fault. You are not the one responsible for this, he is. Any normal parent would just... ground you at the most but that man... that man is taking it too far. This is on him Percy, not on you. Please understand that." She says putting her hands on his shoulder, in an attempt to comfort him. He took a deep breath nodding. He understood what she meant. He knew it was never the victim's fault. He had heard so many counsellors preach this when they came into certain classes to talk about bullying and abuse but he felt that this was one of the occasions that could have been avoided if he had chosen to act differently. He could not stop thinking about how different things would be if that had been the case. Noticing that Percy still seemed to be having some kind of internal conflict, she pulled him into a hug trying to be as comforting as possible. She did not want him to feel alone in this, because he would not be. At first, Percy was surprised at her hug, tensing slightly but he eventually gave in, knowing she had the best of intentions.

"You don't have to go through this alone Percy. I promise."


	10. Chapter 10

**_A/N: Hey guys sorry for not updating in so long. Finals were brutal on me! But I'm back now and I'm going to do my best to try and have a regular update schedule. I will more than likely update every Monday from now on so if you like the story, please follow so you can get notifications when I update!_**

 ** _This chapter is much more of a filler than anything because I just wanted to publish something for you guys. It's a bit shorter but it is the start of a new beginning for Percy so_** ** _enjoy! Thank you so much for reading!_**

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Percy felt incredibly at ease when he woke up this morning. He felt as though a giant weight had been lifted off his shoulders and he could finally breathe again. He thought back to the day before and could not help but smile at what had happened. After a heavy conversation with Annabeth, she had stayed while he played the piano. They would occasionally talk between songs as she kept trying to make him laugh in order to lighten the mood. While she may not have been incredibly successful in making him laugh, her efforts did cheer him up and he found himself cracking jokes along with her, making her laugh in return. Time flew by and soon enough, they found themselves being kicked out because it was so late. She had offered him a ride home, but Percy had declined. He did not exactly live in the best part of town and while she knew that his situation at home was disastrous, he would still feel embarrassed if she saw where he lived. His home was nothing compared to hers or her friends. And so, they parted ways and he went home. His mother was absent but surprisingly so was Gabe and he was able to head straight to bed without worry.

Percy sat up in his bed rubbing his eyes looking down at his phone. School was suppose to start in an hour so he still had some time before needing to leave the house. He stood up and got dressed, actually taking time to choose what he was going to wear today, deciding on a pair of dark blue jeans and a white t-shirt. He then proceeded to make his way to the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth. His eye was now a weird yellowish colour, something he was thankful for as he would no longer have to hide his face too much. After finishing up in the bathroom, he slipped on his black converse and stuffed his head into his blue hoody and made his way out of his bedroom. He heard Gabe snoring away in the room next to his and decided it would be best to get out of here before his step-father woke up. As Percy found his way into the kitchen, he saw that his mother had left some cookies on the counter and some money for his lunch so he quickly put them in his bag and headed for his school. As he was walking, he kept his hands in his pockets, thinking about how today would go. Last night, he had told Annabeth that he would try and spend some time with her and her friends during their mutual lunch in order to open up a bit more and let more joy into his life. He just did not know how anybody would react to him trying to be nice all of a sudden after being so incredibly rude to them all on Monday. His thoughts were interrupted by someone calling out his name. He turned to see Annabeth, who had stopped her car on the side of the road. She smiled at him as he walked over to the open window on the passengers side.

"Need a ride?" She asks as he leaned his head down. He smiles back at her slightly.

"Only if you don't mind" He responds, feeling like an idiot all of sudden. Of course she did not mind, she was the one who had asked him if he wanted one. But she only smiles back at him nodding.

"Of course not Percy" She unlocks the doors and he slides into the passenger seat.

"We just need to pick up Piper on our way there. I hope you don't mind." She adds as Percy puts on his seatbelt. Percy bites his lip, feeling slightly nervous before shaking his head.

"Why would I mind? You're giving me a ride to school. I'm not going to complain about that." He says giving her a small smile. She glances over at him, still smiling as bright as ever and nods. She was glad she had run into Percy because it gave her the oppurnity to try and get him to open up and make more friends. After yesterday, she could honestly say that she thought Percy was one of the most selfless, strong individuals she knew. He put himself through pain so his mother would not have to suffer and endured such hardships without so much of a complaint. She was amazed by him and thought he deserved to have some joy in his life, which is what she would try to give him. They sat in a comfortable silence, listening to the radio as they made their way over to Pipers house. Annabeth honked her horn as she pulled up in Pipers driveway. Percy looked up at the house in awe. It was a bigger than Annabeths house, still standing at two stories high and it looked modern yet classic all at the same time. Piper quickly ran out of her house, backpack barely slung over her shoulder. Seeing Percy in the front seat made her stop dead in her tracks. She quickly recovered, a sly grin forming on her face as she slipped in the back.

"Annabeth so lovely to see you this fine morning. You didn't tell me you were bringing someone along today" She says teasingly as Annabeth rolls her eyes. Percy looks down frowning.

"Sorry, I can go if this is a..." He starts to say before Piper lightly taps his shoulder, feigning to scold him.

"Don't you even dare finish that sentence Percy. I'm glad that you are here. Confused but glad" She says giving him a smile. He looks up and returns her smile as Annabeth starts driving.

'So, are you going to tell us why you were so pissy with us since Saturday?" Piper says, her tone slightly teasing but of course, she wanted to know why nonetheless. Percy looks over at Annabeth before looking back at Piper.

"I've just... I don't know what came over me. I'm not really used to having friends and I was scared that you guys were just drunk on Saturday and that you wouldn't like me as much if you were all sober" Percy lies effortlessly. Piper raises an eyebrow at him.

"That is the dumbest shit I've ever heard in my entire life. Percy of course we would still like you sober! Next time you want to be an idiot... don't" She says making him laugh a bit.

"I promise I'll try not to be" He says turning back to look at the road. His anxiety was slowly melting away because of how Piper and Annabeth were treating him. They were kind and funny... they wanted him around. As hard as it was for him to understand and accept that, he could not help but feel comfortable and at ease around them, something he never felt before but something he was looking forward to. After light conversations in the car, they finally pulled up to the school. The parking lot was starting to fill up considering there was still a half hour left until school started.

"I don't understand why we are here so early Annabeth, nobody is going to get here for another 15 minutes. What are we suppose to do?" Piper whines dramatically, putting her arm over Annabeth shoulder, leaning on her as if dying. Percy grinned at her antics as Annabeth rolled her eyes, a ghost of a smile on her lips.

"We could go to the library, we could sit in the courtyard and listen to some music or talk... There are plenty of things for you to do before Jason gets here. Then, when he does, you can go and find yourself a nice cozy closet to make out in. Does that sound satisfactory?" Annabeth teases her friend who blushes beat red as Percy chuckled at her statement.

"Just for that, me and Jason are going to make out right in front of you." Piper retorts leaning away from her friend who shakes her head smiling.

"Can't wait" The blonde replies knowing very well that Jason was not one for public displays of affection that went beyond hand-holding, hugs and singular kisses.

"Are you two always like this?" Percy asks them as they sit at a table in the courtyard. Piper grins looking over at Annabeth.

"Pretty much. You'll get used to it... Maybe" She says looking up at Percy who nods glancing over at Annabeth who was texting someone.

"Calypso said she and Leo will be here soon." She says putting her phone away. She looks up to meet Percy's gaze.

"What?" She asks smiling at him.

"Do I have something on my face?" She adds, her hand reaching up to touch her cheek. Percy looks away shaking his head, trying not to blush at the fact that he got caught staring at her.

"No it's just... it's nothing." He says. Annabeth looks at him confused as Piper smirks looking at the both of them. She could just tell that something was going to happen between Percy and Annabeth, and even if it wasn't, she knew she could figure out a way to make something happen.

* * *

Percy's morning had been more eventful than anticipated. Upon Leo and Calypso arrival, he had to face their shocked reactions at his presence. He fed them the same lie he had Piper and continued to recount this lie as more people came to join them. Their arrival had been followed by that of Nico, Will and Reyna. Their reactions had been different something Percy was thankful for. While Nico had been there for his outburst earlier in the weeks, his boyfriend and Reyna had not so they greeted him as they sat down. The freshman was a bit sceptical seeing Percy but acted as if the whole thing had not happened. When Travis and Connor arrived with their half-brother Chris and his girlfriend Clarisse, Percy started to feel overwhelmed at the amount of people fathered around what was now two tables stuck together. They paid him no mind, except for Clarisse who was staring at him intently. Annabeth had tried to reassure him stating that Clarisse was simply protective of her friends and after hearing about his weird behaviour, she was slightly wary of his presence. Annabeth figured that she would warm up to Percy eventually and he hoped so because she could be quite intimidating. Finally the last two people to arrive were the Grace siblings. Thalia, despite being one year older than all the other seniors and three years older than Nico, Will and Connor, who were freshman, had been held back a year for reasons still unknown to Percy. She greeted Annabeth, Percy gathered they were close, as she ignored him all together. Jason, however, was a different story entirely. He sat in front of Percy and looked at him inquisitively. Percy could tell Jason wanted to talk to him about what he had seen and about Percy's behaviour but the last thing Percy wanted was to talk to him in front of everybody. Annabeth caught the tension between both men and nudged Jason as if to tell him to back off. He stared back at her as if to say I'm not doing anything before looking back at Percy, saying four words that made Percy's heart want to stop.

"We need to talk."


	11. Chapter 11

_**A/N: Hey guys! Just to let you know that I know this chapter is much shorter than all my other chapters but I really liked the way it ended. Because I have so much planned for the next two chapters, I felt like it was better to cut it off the way it ended. I'm really excited for what is to come and I hope you guys will like it. Because this chapter is so short, I will be updating one more time this week with another short chapter.**_

 _ **Some of you have asked about how often I would update this story and the usual updates will be at the very least, once every week on Mondays. Depending on the week and the chapter length, the updates per week could increase but I also have a full-time job in the summer so my update schedule will most likely be once a week for this story. Thank you all so much for all your kind words and I hope you enjoy this chapter however short it may be.**_

* * *

Percy tapped his foot nervously as he sat on the steps outside of school waiting for Jason. The bell had rung a couple of minutes ago, signalling the end of the school day and he was now waiting for a conversation he was hoping he could have avoided forever. However, Jason had cornered him at lunch demanding to speak to him about what he had seen and Percy could not bring himself to say no. He didn't want to push Jason away by being as rude as he had been before but he didn't exactly want to tell Jason all his secrets only to have him call the cops on Gabe turning Percy's fears into a reality. Jason seemed incredibly noble, like the kind of person who would always want to do the right thing and while Percy admired that in him, it also scared him in terms of coming clean about what he had seen. His thoughts were interrupted by Jason sitting next to him. By now, the parking lot was clearing out, the cheerleaders and the football players staying behind for their respective practices. There were a couple stragglers as well, who were staying for whatever reason they may have but most of the people where already on their way home. Percy caught a glimpse of Annabeth as he looked behind Jason and she gave him a small smile before disappearing into the locker rooms. Percy turned his attention back to Jason, waiting for him to say what he had to say.

Jason looked at Percy questioningly, almost suspiciously before he spoke.

"Why were you covered in bruises?" Jason definitely wasn't beating around the bush with this one. It wasn't because he was trying to be mean or anything like that. It was actually quite the opposite. He was concerned for the guy sitting next to him because he felt like they had somewhat become friends on Saturday and he felt they had the potential to become great friends. There was just something so familiar about Percy that put him at ease a bit and seeing him covered in bruises... Jason would have been concerned if it was a stranger and seeing that happen to someone like Percy was disconcerting to him. Percy looked away from Jason as he asked him the question, trying to figure out what to say to him.

"I get into a lot of fights after school... I don't really live in the best neighbourhood." Percy says not wanting to lie to Jason. In truth, he wasn't lying at all. Yes, he did get into a lot of fights with Gabe after school and yes he did not live in the best neighbourhood. Were the two related? Not necessarily but whatever Jason drew from the statement wasn't on Percy's shoulders. He was just stating facts. Percy looked back up at Jason who seemed to believe him but for some reason was still skeptical.

"Why didn't you just tell me this? Why did you have to push us all away and yell at me in the locker rooms?" Jason asks softly frowning a bit. He had no reason to doubt Percy, and it seemed like he was telling the truth but his behaviour in the recent days just didn't seem to add up to Jason.

"Well when I got home after the party, I got into a particularly bad fights. I just started thinking that if I hadn't been out so late, the fight wouldn't have happened and that kind of led me to blame you guys.. I know you guys are not to blame, it was my fault for staying out so late but... sometimes people do stupid things... The reason I didn't really want to tell you is... you guys, most of you at least, seem to live in really nice parts of town. Annabeths houses is amazing and I would kill to live in a place like yours... I didn't want any of you to think less of me because of that." Percy says honestly. Jason sighs hearing him say that. He wasn't the kind of guy to judge someone based on their financial backgrounds or their differences. He only saw people in the way they presented themselves to him and he only cared about who they were, not where they came from. Hearing Percy say that he was scared something like this would happen made him feel kind of dejected. Was that the kind of attitude he was portraying?

"Percy, that kind of stuff doesn't matter to me... to any of us. When I was a kid, Thalia and I used to live with our mother who was... she was an alcoholic and she was also addicted to narcotics. We never seemed to have any money to spare and it was hard for the longest time until one day my mother died and my father took us in. I know what its like to have it rough, a lot of us do. Travis and Connor live in a foster home filled with a bunch of other kids. Their foster father, Hermes, he's pretty amazing but its still a hard situation to be in. You aren't the only one with hardships, and I'm not saying that to offend you I'm just saying that so you know you are not alone in whatever you are going through. And usually, friends can help get you through those hard times or at least support you when you need them. We don't care about that kind of stuff Percy we just care about who you are.." Jason says in order to show Percy what kind of people they all were. Hearing Jason tell him things like that gave Percy comfort. He obviously wasn't oblivious to the fact that he was not the only person with problems but he had felt alone in his situation until Annabeths discovery yesterday. He felt even less alone hearing Jasons words. Maybe he was right...

"I'm sorry about your mom. That must have been hard." Percy says looking up at Jason who shrugged in response.

"I don't really remember much.. I was really young but it was harder on my sister. She remembers it better and it's hard because I feel like it affected her more. But we are better people because of it I think. Our lives aren't perfect and I doubt they ever will be but the least we can do is to try to make the most of what we have. Right?" Jason offers Percy a smile as he stands up, having to head over to his football practice. He offers his hand out to Percy to help him up but also as a sign of friendship and acceptance. Percy looks at Jason's hand before taking it, a smile forming on his face.


	12. Chapter 12

**_A/N. Short but I hope you guys like it. A bit of Percabeth starting to shine through and a moment I've been waiting for for the longest time now. I'm really excited for this chapter and what is to come. Hope you like it and if you do, please review/follow/favorite/anything._**

 ** _Love you guys! Thank you for all the love and support. You are all awesome._**

* * *

The last couple of weeks for Percy had been… incredible to say the least. He had grown quite fond of his new group of friends and so had they. Percy never imaged he could feel as happy as he did, at least, he hadn't imaged he could for a while now. Of course, things at home were far from being Percy but the way things were going at school helped balance out that negativity. The people he had gotten the closest too were Jason, Nico, Thalia, Piper and of course, Annabeth. There was something incredibly familiar about the first three and it became impossible for Percy not to grow incredibly attached to them. His relationship was different with each of them but he valued them all equally. Piper became, in a way, his partner in crime. They often liked to hang out together and tease Jason on a multitude of things that got him to blush beet red, getting super embarrassed in front of all their friends. Percy learned that Piper liked to skateboard, like he did, and they would often find themselves skating together after school when they both had some free time. And then of course, there was Annabeth. Percy couldn't really quite grasp the relationship they had. She was kind, smart, funny and intimating at the same time. She was his best friend, or at least as close to that as one can get after a couple of weeks together. Percy often turned to her when things got drastic at home and she was always there to cheer him up, put a smile on his face and make him feel like it would all be okay. She made him laugh so hard at times his sides hurt. Percy was grateful for her and he couldn't help but smile when she was around. Piper often liked to tease him about it, saying he had a crush on her. He was never sure how to respond to that. Annabeth was beautiful, there was no denying that. And she definitely made him happy, he definitely trusted her. But Percy had never felt this way about anybody, and he had never experienced this kind of love, never experienced having a crush, so how could he know if what he felt towards Annabeth was this? Even if it was, why would he jeopardize an amazing friendship for something like that. He did however, find it very hard not to look away when she focused on her homework, her eyebrows scrunched up in focus, her lips twitching in excitement as she figured things out. She never looked more adorable than when she focused. This was something Percy could not help but think as he gazed at her doing her homework in the library during their free period. His phone vibrates getting his attention and he looks down seeing a text from Piper.

"You're staring again" Percy couldn't help but roll his eyes at her antics as he looks over at her. Piper smirked at him from her spot next to Annabeth and went back to her work. And just as Percy decided to do the same, the fire alarm went off, making everybody jump to their seat. Quickly grabbing their bags and belongings, the students flooded out of the library and the school, meeting up in the parking lot. Annabeth put her hand on his arm, anxious at the situation.

"Do you think it's some kind of drill?" She asks him bitting her lip. He looks down at her and then back at the school shrugging a bit, taking that hand in his giving it a small squeeze to calm her nerves.

"The school doesn't seem to be burning, I'm sure everything is fine" Percy says as he hears and sees the firetrucks pull up. His friends gather around in the lot, talking amongst themselves as they waited to see what was going on. Finally, a half hour later, the principle walks out with a megaphone in hand announcing to the students that, due to some faulty wiring, the alarm went off without cause. They would be giving the students the afternoon off in order to fix this mess but school would resume per usual the very next day. Obviously, the students were more than happy to hear this news and most of them fled before the principal could change his mind. Percy looked over at Annabeth who looked much more relaxed. She couldn't help but smirk up at him as she saw the large smile on his face.

"Happy about this are you?" She asks him teasingly. He couldn't help but laugh at her tone before nodding.

"I actually am. I'm going to be able to head home to spend some time with my mother because she heads off to work and hopefully before Gabe comes home." He explains smiling at her. She smiles back at him pushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Mind if I tag along?" She asks boldly. Percy froze, unsure of how to answer or process what she had just said. Noticing his hesitation, Annabeth decided to explain herself.

"It's just, you talk about her all the time and you make it seem like she's some kind of goddess… I'd really like to meet her and all… considering we are friends now right?" She clarifies. In truth, she really want to see if the woman he talked about was as amazing as he said. It seemed almost too good to be true. Percy hesitated slightly. While Annabeth knew about his living situation and could expect it to be different from her, he was still nervous about taking her to the sty he called his home. But, again, he was trying to push forward to a better situation and introducing his friend to his mom didn't seem like such a bad idea. He nods at her smiling in order to try and reassure himself.

"Alright. Yah I think she would like that too." Percy says. Annabeth beams up at him and they soon head over to his apartment complex. However, when they entered the apartment, Percy witnessed the last thing he was expecting to see. His vile, bastard step-father has his mother pinned onto the ground, his arm raised, ready to punch Sally Jackson in face. Hearing Annabeth gasp made Gabe turn around, his eyes squinting as he glared at the two teenagers who interrupted what he was doing. But Percy didn't care. He was fuming, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. He was seeing red and all he wanted to do right now was rip Gabe's head right off his body.

"Get your filthy fucking hands off my mother you god damn son of a bitch."


	13. Chapter 13

_**A/N : Mature themes, violent subject matter, and coarse language in this chapter**_.

Annabeth did not know what to do. She felt frozen in place as she watched the stare down between Percy and his step father. Neither of them had moved after Percy spoke, his mother leaning away from Gabe, tears streaming down her face.

"Did you not hear what I said… Let. Her. Go." Percy growls at Gabe after a heavy silence. Gabe smirks, the initial shock of Percy's presence fading away. He lets Sally go, making her sob slightly as he advances against Percy.

"Gabe, no please… not Percy… please." She begs trying to grab him in order to hold him back but her attempts were futile as his attention was fixed solely on the miserable little shit in front of him. He brushed her off like she was nothing, because to him, she was and he advanced on the boy that had made his life hell every since he had married Sally, a sneer forming on his face.

"What are you going to do… boy" Gabe says poking at Percy's chest hard as he got up in his face. Percy's glare intensified as Gabe pokes his chest. He was feeling a whirlwind of emotions but most of all, he was enraged. Enraged at the man who beat him relentlessly for years now, enraged at the man who made him feel like he was nothing when he knew he was so much more than that. Enraged that the only reason he hadn't gone to the police was to protect his mother, the only reason he never held his own against Gabe was to protect his mother and now he finally understood it was all for nothing because Gabe Ugliano was a man who was taking advantage of his love for his mother in order to beat him and was doing the exact same to her by using her love for Percy against her. He was a swine, and Percy wanted to make him pay…

"You don't get to push me around anymore asshole." Percy replies pushing Gabe back. His stepfather stumbles backwards surprised before he regains his composure.

"After all these years, you decide to fight back now? I don't think so. You are weak Perseus Jackson. You're a weak little coward…" Before Gabe could finish his sentence, Percy had punched him right in the jaw, unable to stop himself. Annabeth and Sally let out a cry of shock in regards to what had just happened. Sally's heart was racing, with each second her fearfulness growing for the safety of her son. She pleaded for them to stop, not wanting Percy to get hurt but her words were ignored by both the men. Annabeth wanted to pull Percy back. She wanted to stop him from doing something that could get him severely hurt because she knew how much Gabe could hurt him. The look in that man's eyes was murderous and she feared for Percy's safety, Sally's safety... and her own. Gabe wiped his mouth, as a bit of blood had formed at the corner of his lips. He laughed a bit, thinking the situation ridiculous. There was no way this weakling could take him on, and if he did, he had a way to make sure Percy would stop. Gabe did not hesitate to retaliate, throwing a punch Percy's way, almost knocking the insolent boy into Annabeth as he did so.

"You really think you can get rid of me boy? Huh? You are nothing! Both of you, and there is no way you would survive without me... not for one second. So think again before you come at me you little shit!" Gabe taunted as Annabeth leaned over to check on Percy, wanting to make sure he wasn't too badly hurt.

"Percy... Percy please let's just go okay? You and your mom... you can stay at mine, please." She whispered to him as he kept glaring at Gabe who was making his way back to Sally.

"Leave Annabeth, leave before you get hurt... I got this. I'm going to make sure this bastard never hurts my mother again!" Percy growls before tackling Gabe to the ground. Gabe barely had a chance to react as Percy held him down, throwing punches at his face. Annabeth takes advantage of this moment to run over to Sally to check and see if she was okay. She had a cut on her forehead and her cheek looked swollen but beyond that she looked physically okay. Her eyes however told a different story. She was incredibly worried for her son because she knew how violent Gabe could be. The last thing she wanted was to see him hurt and now, because he had brought a girl home, she was also at risk of getting hurt and Sally could never forgive herself if anything happened to this innocent girl.

"I need to stop him... I need to help my son" She says as Annabeth tries to get her to stand in order to get her out of the apartment and into the hall where it would be remotely safer.

"Mrs Jackson please, we need to get you out okay? Percy would want you to be safe" Annabeth says as they slowly make their way towards the door, albeit Sally was more reluctant. They were almost there when things took a turn. It thad taken a moment for Gabe to recover from the shock before he threw Percy off of him.

"You're gonna pay for that" He growls at his step son as he stands up, towering over Percy. Under normal circumstances, Percy would have shut up and let Gabe get it over with but Percy had had enough. He quickly went to stand only to find himself at the end of the barrel of a gun. Sally cries out for her son trying to make her way over to her but Annabeth holds her back, managing to push her into the hall and closing the door behind her. Sally bangs on the door crying out for her son as Annabeth, with tears streaming down her face, holds the door closed pulling out her phone to call the authorities as quietly as she could, not wanting the gun to find itself aimed at her. However, Gabe was too engrossed in his situation with Percy to notice, a large smirk growing on his face as he sees the fear in Percy's eyes.

"What are you going to do now tough boy? Huh? You gonna fight back?" Gabe antagonizes Percy with a slight chuckle. Percy looks around the room for something to fight back with and his gaze meets that of Annabeth's who is whispering into her phone, tears streaming down face. Percy hates that he brought her here. He hates himself for putting her in this situation and now, this makes him hate Gabe even more…

"I'm sorry" He mouths to her when she doesn't break his gaze. She quickly wipes her tears from her face, shaking her head as if to say it wasn't his fault. Percy forces himself to look away from her worried eyes and back up to the man he hated the most as he sits up straighter.

"I'd rather die homeless than spend another minute relying on the likes of you. You think we need you? You think we want you in our lives? You are a mistake my mother was forced to make and I swear to god you will live to regret the day you ever laid a hand on her…" Percy says, a permanent glare set on his face as he stares at the man holding a gun. Gabe can't help but smirk at Percy's word.

"I don't regret a single day… I don't regret beating the crap out of you when you deserved… when I thought it would be fun… and I definitely don't regret doing the same to your whore of a mother. She spread her legs nice and well for a place to live… You think I will ever regret doing what I did?" Gabe's finger grips the trigger tighter as he speaks.

"Stop!" Annabeth yells making Gabe snap out of his trance as he is reminded of her presence. His finger loosens around the trigger as he turns to face her.

"Why are you doing this? They have done nothing to you… Percy is a nice guy… He is kind and sweet and talented… Why are you trying to take that away from him? What gives you the right?" She yells at him angry at his actions. Gabe sneers at her.

"And who the fuck are you to tell me all this huh? What gives you the right to come into my home and tell me what to fucking do and how to treat the people living under my fucking roof? I ought shoot you right fucking here and now you little insolent bitch" He says turning to point his gun at her.

"Don't you dare!" Percy yells as he tackles Gabe. The sound of a gun shot rings through the apartment... then silence


	14. Chapter 14

Silence rings heavy only for a moment before Annabeth screams her eyes on Percy and Gabe wrestling on the ground. The gun slides across the room as the door is forced open, the police barging in.

"I'll kill you!" Percy yells at Gabe as he tries to get some punches in but Gabe is quick overpowers him, both oblivious to the presence of the cops in the room. Gabe, while holding him down to punch him in the face, is ripped off Percy by an officer who instantly cuffs him. Gabe struggles against them yelling profanities at Percy, threatening him despite all the officers present. Percy ignores him, still slightly dazed at the turn of events but once he looks behind him and noticed Annabeth, he cannot help but rush to her side to check on her..

"Are you okay? Are you hit?" He asks her checking her all over for any signs of bullet entries. She shakes her head looking over at him, signalling she was physically fine. Granted she was shaken by the situation at hand and she was still slightly scared of the man who had been pulled out of the room. She could have easily died if it was no for Percy and she owed him a great debt.

"Percy forget about me.. what about you? Are you okay?" She asks putting her hand on his swollen cheek. He didn't have the chance to answer as Sally rushes in pulling him into a hug. He glances over at Annabeth who is being led out of the apartment in order to get checked by the paramedics before he closes his eyes, leaning into his mothers embrace.

"I'm fine mom… I'm okay" He whispers as she sobs into his hair, kissing his head fiercely.

"Never do that again Perseus Jackson you hear me? Never… never" She says squeezing the life out of him as he does the same for her. Percy was just thankful she was safe and relatively unharmed. He was somewhat thankful that he had arrived home early. Not because he had almost died and put the life of Annabeth in jeopardy, no, in fact he hated himself for dragging her into this, but he was thankful because after today, he felt confident that Gabe would no longer be in their lives. Everything was out in the open now and Percy would no longer let that man hurt him or his mother. Sally eventually pulls away to look down at her little boy. Granted he was not so little anymore but to her... he was still her baby. She kisses his forehead.

"So reckless yet so brave... I never wanted this to happen Percy... All these years I've been trying to protect you and I'm so sorry you had to witness what he did... I'm sorry you had to go through this today..." Sally says still unaware of the fact that Percy had been trying to protect her all these years as well. He looks up at his mother wiping the tears off her cheeks before shaking his head.

"I've been trying to protect you too mom... He promised me he would never hurt you and he did... he's been lying to me for all these years and he's been lying to you too..." He whispers, almost regretting his admission when he sees the heartbroken look on his mothers face. Upon hearing his words, Sally felt a wave of immense guilt wash over her. All this time, she thought she was protecting him when she was only getting them both hurt. All the lies Gabe had spewed to them both, all the treachery and malice that man held in his heart... but no longer would she let him rule their lives. Her emotions turned to anger. She would not let Gabe have the satisfaction of breaking her... of breaking Percy. He would pay for what he had done to her little boy.

"I promise you Percy... we will make him pay" She says fiercely as she hold his face in her hands.

* * *

"In other news, a gun shot went off in an apartment building on Neptune Lane early this afternoon. Police were already on their way when the shot rang, having received a call about a domestic disturbance at the same address. What appears to have gone down is a tragic tale of a son, Percy Jackson, trying to protect his mother, Sally, from his abusive stepfather, Gabe Ugliano. When things got out of hand, Mr Ugliano pulled the gun out to threaten the boy and then turned against one of his friends, present the scene, the same friend, in fact who appears to have placed the call. It remains unclear when during the situation the shot was fired and how long Mr Ugliano has been abusing his family as the family and the police refuse to release any statements regarding this situation. Thank you for tuning in, I'm Judy McFarlen and this was Action News!"

* * *

Nico stares frozen in shock at the television as the news segment ends. Had he heard her correctly? Had she said Percy Jackson? Nico puts his hands over his mouth as he leans against his knees, his eyes still on the screen, which was now displaying some add about toothpaste. His father, Hades di Angelo, was sitting next to him looking at the screen with intrigue.

"Did she just say Percy and Sally Jackson?" Hades asks sitting up straighter as he pulls out his phone to call his brother. Nico nods wordlessly from beside him, still at a loss for words. His father steps out of the room as he enters a conversation with his brother, Zeus. The sound of his phone ringing brings Nico out from his daze as he picks it up.

"Did you just see that on the news? Did you know about this? Has Percy tried calling you or talking to you? I knew something was up... I asked him about it a while ago and he brushed it off... I should have known... Nico... Nico are you still there?" He hears Jason's voice from the other end of the line.

"How am I suppose to get a word in if you won't stop talking" Nico snaps rolling his eyes at his cousins antics. His older sister Bianca chuckles from beside him and he glances at her a small smile now on his face. Jason does not answer, in order to let Nico speak.

"Yes I saw the news, no I had no idea this was going on and no Percy has not tried to contact me at all. Not yet anyway. But if you were him would you try to call anybody? I'd want to be left alone after something like that happened to me." Nico responds as he looks over at the shadow of his father in the hallway.

"But my dad seems pretty interested in that particular bit of news. He seemed to almost know who they were..." Nico adds, his tone slightly suspicious of his fathers actions.

"I think he's on the phone with my dad right now. I head him answer the phone not too long ago and he said 'What do you want brother' considering your dad is his only living brother I'm assuming they are on the phone together. What do you think this is about? Do you think it has something to do with Percy? How could it..." Jason ask. Nico had no response for the questions of his cousin, the same thoughts ringing in his head as well.

* * *

Sally and Percy had spent the remainder of the day at the police station trying to retell the days event in great detail, not wanting to leave anything out. They also shared with the officers that Gabe had been beating them both for years without each others knowledge and, contrary to what Gabe had threatened Percy with, the officers had no intentions of separating the mother from her son. Both had been victims of severe abuse and they needed each other now more than ever. Sally and Percy both pressed charges against Gabe, who, to nobody's surprise, was quick to deny their accusations claiming they were insane and that they were after his money and his home. He lawyered up so fast that Sally was starting to fear he might get away with this. If he had been doing this to them for years now, was it so crazy to think he might have thought of a way out of it had he ever been caught... Knowing the man she had married was of the most foul kind, she was scared how elaborate this plan of his might be. She ran her hair through Percy's hair in thought as they sat together on the couch. They had been back home for a an hour now and they had turned on the television to try and distract themselves from the situation. But they both sat in silence, exhausted at the day they had had. Percy, who was stretched out across the couch, his head in his mother's lap, had been ignoring looking at his phone all day. As soon as that segment had aired, it seemed that the news of the this afternoons events had spread like wildfire amongst his friends and they had started blowing up his phone. He had put it on silent and it remained as such because Percy had no idea what to tell them. He had kept this from them and now that everything was out in the open, he was unsure of how to react. Their silence was interrupted by a knock on the door. Percy looks up at his mother confused before sitting up so she could stand and answer the door. Sally opens the door and looks up in shock at the man standing in front of her.

"Good evening Sally. Long time no see."

* * *

 _ **A/N: Hey guys! Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Please dont be shy to follow and review if you like it! I**_

 _ **To all those asking if I'm gonna forget about this story I promise I won't! I'm sticking to a tight update schedule- Always on Mondays!**_


	15. Chapter 15

**_A/N - So sorry about the late update guys! My keyboard and mouse stopped working on my laptop last Saturday and I had to take it to get it fixed. I had everything on it so I was unable to update until today. I'm sorry if this chapter feels a bit rushed or not up to par with the others because I wanted to publish something as fast as possible for you all. I will still be posting a new chapter on Monday like usual. Let me know what you all think by_** ** _reviewing or following! Thanks for the reads :)_**

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Sally stared up at Hades in surprise. She pulls her sweater around herself much tighter at the sight of her deceased husbands brother. It had been quite a long time since she had seen him, in fact, she believed the last time she saw any of Poseidon's brothers was the day of his funeral. But it wasn't like she saw much of them before that either. The relationship between the three bothers was strained to say the least. Sally always encouraged Poseidon to reach out to them, since the feud was mostly between Zeus and Hades. The feud was between them was so strong that it compelled Hades to change his last name in order to disassociate himself from his family. Sally always felt that he may be able to reconnect them. In a way, she was right. Her husbands death had brought the brothers closer as well as their children. The only mistake they made was not staying in touch with Sally Jackson... and she could not bare to call to them as they reminded her too much of her beloved husband. She also did not have much of a connection with either of them and felt that she might burden them should she ever try to reach out. The last thing she wanted was to do such a thing and both parties almost seemed to forget about one another as time went by which was why seeing him standing in front of her was like being visited by a ghost, a long forgotten memory.

"Hades... I... what... um... please come in." She stutters trying to compose herself as her once brother-in-law entered their ratty apartment. She knew Poseidon came from me and that his brothers ran very successful businesses of their own, which made her cheeks flush slightly pink as she let this man into her apartment. She did not want him to think less of her because of where she lived... she did not want him to take away her son because of the environment she had put him in, because as a very successful lawyer, he could. Hades smiles kindly at her as she leads him into the living room where Percy was now sitting up with interest. The man in front of him looked oddly familiar and he couldn't really put his finger on it.

"Mom?" Percy asks, his gaze shifting to his mother who still looked flustered. Sally met his gaze and looked back at Hades.

"Percy, this is your uncle Hades... your fathers brother... Hades, you remember Percy" Sally says looking back at her son, a small smile on her face. Hades grins at Percy, extending his hand out.

"How could I forget the boy who was almost a carbon copy of my brother. You were such a cheerful child..." He says as Percy shakes his hand. Introducing this man as his uncle had jogged Percy's memory. He vaguely remembers seeing this man at his fathers funeral and them before that a couple of times as well on different occasions. The details were hazy but Percy knew he was family. He had always seemed pleasant to him, or at least from what he recollects.

"Its nice to see you again... sir" Percy says hesitating at what to call him before settling on sir. Uncle felt like too much of a familiar word to use on the man in front of him. And his stature was too impressive to call him 'man' making Percy settle on 'sir'. Hades smiles at the boys manners before turning to Sally.

"Is there any way I could speak to you in private please Sally... I'm afraid it's rather important." He states biting his lip, his eyes shifting to Percy for a momentary glance. Sally, moving to stand next to her son, wraps her arm around Percy's shoulder squeezing it slightly.

"Anything you want to say to me you can say in front of Percy as well..." She didn't know where this was going and right now, she just wanted to be with her son because she had no idea what the outcome of the conversation would be. Hades was hesitant to have the boy present but nodded nonetheless since it did involve him. Sally offered him a small smile in return.

"I'll make some tea." She says moving into the kitchen.

* * *

They all sat quietly, sipping their teas for a moment before Hades spoke up.

"I understand you've got yourself in an interesting situation with your... I want to say husband but I feel that such a title is not something that man is deserving of based on his actions. Do you want to tell me what's going on with that?" Hades asks offering her a slight smile. Sally tenses up looking down at her mug as Percy bites his lip wondering where this was going. Sally was hesitant to share any details with him but something compelled her to trust him. It did not seem like he was here to hurt her or her son.

"Gabe Ugliano is an abusive, lying, manipulative pig... He... He is claiming that everything we are accusing him off is false. That all those years of abuse both me and Percy are claiming he put us through are fabrications to get to his money..." Sally scoffs shaking her head.

"He's also claiming that the situation he was caught in by the police was selfdefense and that Percy attacked him first. But Percy would never do that... Yes he might have a... a troubled past especially in school but the people he had altercations with were bullies. Percy can't stand people who bring people down like that and... he has not had an incident since he started at Goode and Percy... Percy was just trying to defend me earlier today. He walked in on me being beaten by Gabe... I was only trying to protect him... Gabe told me he would hurt Percy if I didn't let him do... if I didn't let him do whatever he wanted to me." Sally says looking up at Hades, tears forming in her eyes. Percy, noticing them, reached up to rub her back in a comforting manner.

"And worst of all, he's been telling Percy the same thing." She adds wiping her tears quickly, anger replacing her pain. Hades sits slightly straighter at the information he had just received.

"And now he wants to get away with all of this? I don't feel that that is acceptable. I'm assuming there will be a trial over this? Do you have good representation?" Hades asks knowing they probably did not. Gabe would be quick to lawyer up but the Jacksons would not have a fail-safe plan like Gabe would. They were probably still shaken up from the events of this afternoon to have even started looking at getting representation.

"The police offered me a card for a lawyer... but I don't really think I could afford one at the time." Sally says sighing looking over at her son who was looking down at his tea. She runs her finger over his hair, scared at the thought of going to court without representation and being unable to make the man who hurt him pay. Hades softens at the sight of the mother and child interacting with one another. He could tell how incredibly close they were, and no doubt today had brought them even closer. He felt partially responsible for the fate of his ex-sister-in-law and nephew. While he was busy reconnecting with Zeus, he had neglected to make sure that they were okay after the death of his brother. If he had been there to help them go through that loss and help Sally find herself a decent career with a good pay, he might have been able to avoid this all. He knew that she did not come from much, what with most of her family being dead and her uncle needing intensive medical care. Sally had been generous enough to drop out of school to take care of him and gave all her money to help him. So when she met Poseidon, after the death of her uncle, she had nothing but the love in her heart to offer him. And he took it without a second thought and offered her the world, his world. She became a stay at home mom, taking care of her Percy while Poseidon worked. And they were happy. But when he died, and she was left with nothing since his death was not anticipated, Hades should have made sure that Percy and Sally had been taken care of. And he faults himself in part for how they were now. So he wanted to rectify that.

"Let me represent you Sally, please. No charge.. for family. I know we have not talked in a long time but... you and Percy, you are still my family. And my brother would haunt me for life if I didn't make sure that that bastard rots in hell for what he has done." Hades offers. Sally and Percy look at him eyes wide.

"Hades I... That's very generous but I cannot ask this of you." Sally says. She had never asked them for anything, not wanting to burden them and this... this would be burdening him and taking him away from paying customers.

"Nonsense Sally, I'm offering. I want to do this." Hades says. The three of them were quiet for a moment before Percy spoke up.

"Why now... I mean its been a long time since my father has passed and we would have help with Gabe years ago. What made you decide to just walk into our lives now and help us? We don't need your pity.." Percy says a slight glare present on his face. He didn't understand how this man, his uncle, could go years without caring about them, without calling them a single time to check on them and now all of sudden he cared so much he was willing to take their case on pro-bono. If it was pity, Percy did not want it.

"Percy..." Sally warns him not wanting her son to offend his uncle and not wanting Hades to perceive her son as ill-mannered or impolite.

"No Sally... his anger is understandable. You see Percy... when your father died it was hard on me and siblings and we got so caught up in trying to fix our own messes and of trying to reconnect with each other, something Poseidon and your mother had been trying to do for years that... we lost touch. It's not that we did not think of you both during those years because sometimes, albeit scarcely, we did but the numbers we had were void, with you both having moved out of your old home after it went up for sale and... well we figured that if you hadn't tried to contact us it was because you were happy and you did not want to be reminded of Poseidon through the things that could connect you to him, like his family. Loosing touch with your family is hard but... if an opportunity to mend broken bridges presents itself, can you fault me for taking it?" Hades says looking over at the boy with a small smile. Percy sighs shaking his head. He understood where his uncle was coming from. He knew how easy it could be to forget someone or to loose touch but his uncle also seemed to understand where his anger came from and for that he was thankful. Sally smiled slightly as Percy nodded and she squeezed his arm in thanks. Hades looked over at Sally, a smile on his face.

"So, what do you say?" He asks her. Sally holds out her hand in response.

"I will gladly accept your help Hades. I want to see that man rot for what he did to my son."

* * *

Percy lay in his bed looking down at his phone, going through all the texts his friends had sent him. But they did not really matter to him much, at least not as much as one of them did. He sighs dialling up the number, pressing the phone to his ear as it rings before the line was answered.

"Hello?"


	16. Chapter 16

Percy can't help but smile at the sound of her voice. A wave of calm went over him and he instantly felt much better than he had at any point in his entire day.

"Hey.. It's Percy" He says kind of stupidly. It was only as he said that that he realized that she probably had caller-ID and already knew it was him. Her laugh makes him feel much better about it all, but a small blush still makes its way onto his cheeks.

"I know it's you Percy… How… how are you fairing with what happened today?" Annabeth asks him. Ever since the paramedics took her away to check on her, all she has been thinking about is Percy and his mother, how they were both doing and what was going to happen to them. She felt ecstatic to get a call from him, especially after all their friends had told her he had not responded to anybody's texts or calls after the incident.

"I'm okay… I mean a lot happened since Gabe got arrested… some things I can't even wrap my head around but I just wanted to make sure that you were okay. You were taken away so fast and then we had to go to the police station I just… I wanted to make sure you were doing alright" Percy says concerned for her well-being. Knowing he had put her into that situation killed him inside. She could have gotten seriously injured, she could have been shot and he never would have forgiven himself if that had happened to her. At the same time, it must not have been easy for her emotionally to experience something like that and it worried Percy to think of the extent it might have shaken her. He knew she was a strong woman but sometimes, all it takes is one small thing for one's vulnerability to shine through.

"I'm alright… I'm still a little bit shaken I mean… it's not everyday you're in a room with someone who has a gun." Annabeth chuckles nervously. Percy's heart sinks at her comment but she quickly makes up for it.

"But I don't fault you for that. I'm actually kind of glad I was there because if I hadn't called the cops Percy… who knows what would have happened. Thinking about that makes me feel so much worse than I feel right now." She adds on. Percy sighs knowing she was right. Without her, Gabe could have killed him and his mother. Would things have gone that far? Possibly. Would Percy be dead if they had? Possibly. But what Percy could not bare was not the thought of his own death but the thought of his mothers death. The world needed Sally Jackson in it to make it a better place and knowing that she could have been gone from this world was a thought that enraged Percy because that woman was an angel and she did not deserve a fate such as that.

"I'm still sorry to have put you in a situation like that… Thankful for what you did but sorry nonetheless because you should never have had to experience something like that Annabeth." Percy's honesty was touching to Annabeth but something else seemed to be on the back of his mind. In fact, Percy was now incredibly concerned of what she now thought of him. She had seen a more violent side of him today and she had seen, truly seen, where and what he came from. He was scared that her perception of him was changed forever… And it was. But not in the way he thought. Annabeth, after discovering what was going on with Percy, felt that he was an incredibly brave individual and she respected him everyday for his actions. After today, she knew that he was one of the bravest people she had ever met and she could not believe how strong he was, physically and otherwise. The amount of courage it took to tackle a man with a gun was something Annabeth could not wrap her head around and yet she saw him do it. He was brave, strong and incredibly loyal and protective, qualities Annabeth would indefinitely admire in him forever.

"You know Percy… I think what you did today was beyond amazing. To stand up to your stepfather like that after all he's done to you and your mother was incredible. Stupid, obviously because he had a gun but incredibly nonetheless. I'm really proud of you Percy." Annabeth whispers into her phone wanting him to know how she felt because she knew he was probably beating himself up over the events of the day and she did not want him to feel that way at all. She wanted him to feel good about what he did because what did had done was good. Percy could not help but smile at her admission. His fears of her change in perception slowly drifting away as he hears her words. They spent the next hour talking on the phone, trying to get their minds of the event that would change Percy's world forever. Percy had not yet told her about the many things that had happened after she had been dragged away but for now he felt that he did not need to. He was perfectly content talking to her about whatever passed through their heads, things that only brought smiles on both their faces. Annabeth herself was thankful for such a distraction. She knew that distracting herself with things other than the incident would be good for her but it would be even better for Percy. Hearing him speak, she could tell he was smiling and it made her happy to know that he was because it meant he wasn't tearing himself down over the little things that did not matter to her but that seemed to matter to him. She tries to keep his mind off it without making it too obvious but Percy knew. He knew she was distracting him and honestly, he was thankful for it. It seemed as though no matter what happened, Annabeth would be there to stick through it all and that was something Percy needed in his life. Especially now that things were about to get incredible intense.

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 ** _A/N: Obviously this is a really short chapter, almost half the size of what I usually put up but considering I just published a chapter just a few days ago, I hope you guys will forgive me for this. Again, because this is such a short chapter, you can expect another one to be published shortly (before next Monday). I just wanted to have a bit of a Percabeth moment._**

 ** _I realize it's a bit of a slow burn but we are getting there I promise. If you are new to the story, please don't be scared to follow or favourite or review. If you are not new, please feel free to do the same. I love feedback from you guys and again, I apologize for the incredibly short average chapter._**


	17. Chapter 17

_**A/N. Hey guys. So a few things I wanted to say before you read this chapter. First, I'm truly sorry for not posting another chapter last week, I got called into work on my days off and I had no time to write. Second, I'm sorry for another short chapter but as I was writing this one, I spilled water on my keyboard. Obviously, I saved the document before turning off my laptop and wrote the rest of the chapter on my phone which was a nightmare, explaining the length. If in two days time, when I turn on my computer again, the keyboard and the computer are completely functional and normal, I will be posting a new chapter as I have the assurance of my boss that I won't be called in on my days off this week. I hope you enjoy this filler and I'll be back soon with more content! Thank you all for understanding.**_

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Percy woke up the next day to the smell of his mothers pancakes and it instantly brought a smile on his face. He sat up on his bed and rubbed his face before getting up and heading over to the kitchen where his mother was still cooking, a small smile on her face. He loved seeing her at peace and happy like this. She deserved all the happiness in the world. He comes up behind her and hugs her smiling.

"Morning mom." He whispers, his smile getting bigger at she jumps in surprise. She relaxes in his arms, turning around to return the hug. She kisses his head running her hands through his hair.

"Morning sweetie. How are you feeling today?" She asks as he pulls back going to sit on the counter behind her. She turns back to her cooking as he watches her.

"Good. I'm still a bit sore from yesterday but I am good. What about you mom… how are you feeling." He asks as she start to set up the plates for breakfast.

"I feel much better, relieved actually. Especially after that talk with your uncle." She says glancing back at him. Percy felt uncomfortable at the mention of his uncle. It wasn't that he wasn't grateful for what his uncles support right now, because really he was but he didn't feel any connection for to that man, not yet anyway. He was his fathers brother but to Percy he was just a man he hadn't seen in years, a man he didn't know. Sally noticed the shift in his attitude and offers him a small smile.

"I know having someone from your father's side showing up after many years feels strange, believe me but I truly believe it is a step in the right direction. Hades and Zeus, they were nice men. Stubborn as hell but nice nonetheless and I think it would be good for us to get back in touch with that side of the family. It'll help you reconnect with your father.. He would be so proud of the man you've become." Sally says affectionately. Percy looks up at her, running his hands through his hair.

"You think so?" He asks biting his lip. Percy's biggest fear was disappointing his father, even though the man was not with them anymore. He loved his dad and he knew his father loved him, he just knew it and he didn't want to ever bring shame to him. The way he had failed to protect his mother made him believe that his father would have been disappointed in him.. that was the last thing he would have wanted. Sally, understanding the worry behind her sons question sets the plates down on the counter and cups his cheek comfortingly.

"I know so Percy. He would have always been proud of you. No matter what." She reassures him. He smiles at her nodding, her answer settling him a bit before he helps her set the table. They eat quietly for a bit before Sally looks at Percy.

"So Hades invited us over for lunch today… to talk about everything thats going to happen but also just to catch up with the family. You don't have to come if you don't want to" she says carefully not wanting to force him into anything he didn't want. Percy looks up at his mother before nodding.

"No I think you are right… its going to be good to get back in touch with the family and I want to be there with you… I want to be there every step of the way so that Gabe can finally end up where he deserves."

* * *

Walking into his uncles house was an interesting experience for Percy. The house was huge, something he wasn't expecting. He knew that his uncle was a successful lawyer and he expected him to be well off but not as well off as this. The house was huge, in a private community of course. His mother put her hand on his back smiling at him in reassurance. He smiles back.

"Think if dad was alive we would've been still living in a place like this…" He asks her as she rings the doorbell.

"Your father would have always provided the best for us, no matter what. And once you turn 18… you will have access to everything he had. You will finally come into his inheritance and you get yourself a place like this.." Sally admits to him. She didn't know why she chose this moment to tell him about his inheritance but it just came out. Percy stared at her in shock as he tried to process the information she had just him. Before he got a chance to answer her, Nico came to answer the door bringing Percy into an ever bigger state of shock.

"Percy? What are you doing here? How do you know where I live?" Nico asks just as shocked and confused as Percy. Before Percy could say anything, his mother spoke up for him.

"My my, you sure have grown Nico... Last time I saw you, you were the half the height you are now. You probably don't remember me..." Sally starts before she was cut off by Hades interrupting her as he walked up behind his son.

"Sally! So glad you could make it... Nico, you remember your aunt?" He says motioning over to her. Nico's eyes go wide in recognition before he looks at Percy and then his father.

"Uncle Poseidon's wife? Aunty Sally?" He asks as if looking for confirmation from either parent. Sally offers him a kind smile nodding before Hades lets them in.

"You have a lovely home Hades, and I would expect nothing less if Persephone had a hand in any of it..." Sally says teasing him slightly. Hades laughs patting her back softly.

"You really have not changed at all my dear." He says as he leads her away, further into the house. Sally looks back at Percy who was staring at Nico, who in return, was doing the same. She knew it must feel strange for him to meet his long lost cousin so she decided to give the a bit of time alone as she followed Hades away from the boys.

Percy stares at Nico trying to formulate any kind of coherent sentence. He gulps a bit before deciding to speak.

"So if Hades is your dad... and he's my dad brother... that would make you my cousin... that would make you and Jason and Thalia... my cousins..." he says processing it out loud, not taking his eyes off Nico who nods slowly.

"Yah... yah I guess it does.."


	18. Chapter 18

**_A/N: Hey guys! I just wanted to appologize for not updating the last 3 Mondays. I had to get my laptop fixed and I was leaving on vacation for on the 1st of July so I did not get my laptop fixed in time for my trip but I hand wrote as much as I could while I was in France and Italy (which by the way are beautiful countries I would recommend visiting.) So now that I am back home, here is one chapter that is twice as long as what I have been posting recently and hopefully I can get you all another one done this week. If not, you can 100% expect one next Monday! Regular schedule is back on track._**

 ** _Thank you all so much for following and favouriting I appreciate even the ones that do not! Please feel free to leave a review if you enjoyed this chapter!_**

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Percy and Nico stared at each other unsure of what to do next. Percy was feeling overwhelmed. It was one thing to find out your distant uncle was only ever a 15 minute drive away from your home but it was another to find out that the friends that he had made in school were actually his cousins. Yes, when he had first met them, he felt that they were somewhat familiar because he does have vague memories of his cousins from when they were children but he didn't think he owed this feeling of familiarity to them being family. He thought that maybe he had passed them multiple times in his life without actually talking to them, or maybe they just had one of those faces that people always found familiar. It was odd for him to figure out that that wasn't actually the case. Nico stared back at him, just as in shock as his cousin. Of course Jason, Thalia and himself felt some form of familiarity around Percy and now, learning why that is, it made more sense to him as to why they all felt that way rather than him being the only person who felt that way.

"So… this is an interesting development" Nico says trying to break to silence between them. Percy looks up at him cracking a small smile.

"Interesting but… welcome I guess… It's nice to know I've got some family. My mother is really all I've had for years and well, I really like you, Thalia and Jason. You're great friends which makes this a lot easier." Percy freely admits surprising even himself. Nico had always been somewhat distant to him compared to the others in the group but he was still really nice to Percy and Percy enjoyed his company. Knowing he was family made it even easier for him to open up to him. Nico smiles a bit at Percy's comment, feeling a bit better about the whole situation. Obviously he knew that Percy had never really had a great family if the news was anything to go by. Percy was his friend and if he felt better, happier, especially after recent events, then Nico was elated for him. They stay quiet for a moment before Nico speaks up once more.

"So, so you want to maybe do something or is standing awkwardly in hallways your thing?" Nico teases, his more sarcastic nature surfacing. Percy cracks a small smile shaking his head.

"No we can do something, but I would have to let you choose since I don't really know what there is to do here." Percy reasons but mostly it was because he was nervous in choosing an activity that Nico may find dorky or unpleasant in order not to ruin his chances at a proper family. Of course, Percy knew that this was ridiculous, Nico would always be family whether or not he disliked Percy but Percy had spent enough time with a 'family' that did not like him, with a 'family' member that had abused him. The last thing he wanted or needed was another family member that disliked him. Since this was all so new, Percy was worried this would be the case with Nico. Ridiculous right? But Gabe had really done a number on Percy and well, sometimes this made multiple insecurities rise up in situations where the outcome could be negative, no matter how small the chance of that being the consequences. Nico, who had started to lead them away from the main entrance nodded along with him and thought about what they could do together.

"We could watch a movie or play video games if you want?" Nico ends up suggesting making a smile grow on Percy's face. Those two activities didn't really require a lot of talking which might be better for the both of them. Nico wasn't really the talking type and Percy was scared that talking would somehow lead back to his stepfather, something he desperately wanted to avoid.

* * *

Playing video games with Nico was a much easier experience than he had anticipated. They quickly fell into a rhythm and were quick to tease each other, almost as if they had been doing this for years. While both Nico and Percy were unaccustomed to social interactions, or at least were not used to being incredibly social with anyone other than the people they really trusted, maybe their familiar connections helped ease them into their current state. Bianca walked into the living room to let them know that lunch was ready to be served when she paused at the sight in front of her. Both boys were leaning up against one another as they played a game she did not recognize, yelling slightly trying to distract one another. Percy it seems ends up winning as he stood up throwing his arms up in victory, accompanying this movement with a victorious cry as well. Nico slumped back against the couch in defeat, a small smile still present on his face despite his loss. Bianca coughs in order to get their attention, a small smirk on her face as she does so. Percy turns to face her quickly, surprised at her presence in the room, which left a small blush on his cheeks. Nico, used to Bianca slipping in at inopportune moments, faces her slightly raising an eyebrow at her making her smirk grow wider.

"Lunch is ready" She states before walking out of the room without another word making Nico rolls his eyes fondly. He turns to face Percy before standing up as well.

"Thank god for that… Im starving" He says as he starts to lead Percy into the dining room where Hades, Persephone and Sally were already waiting, chatting away like old friends which did not really surprise Percy. From what his mother had told him, while the brothers did not get along that well, Sally and Persephone had always liked each other. Hades had marred her two years after the death of his first wife Maria, who had passed away while giving birth to Nico. Nico's other sister Hazel Levesque, who was a year younger than him was the product of a fling Hades had had a few months before he met Persephone. With Persephone's help, he had managed to get full custody of Hazel and they raised the three siblings tighter. Percy admired that while it was a very mismatched family, they seemed to all love each other unconditionally. Just being in the room with them for a moment was enough to notice it. It made Percy's heart swell in with envy. This was something he wanted for himself and his mother… a happy ending. His mother deserved to be treated like a queen, the way Hades treated Persephone. And that Person should be as benevolent with everything as Hades seemed to be. They didn't have to be perfect, but they had to be perfect enough to give his mom what she wanted… to make her feel the way she deserved to feel. Percy wasn't looking for a new father, nobody could take his father's place in his heart but it would be nice if the person to give his mom what she deserved would also be nice to Percy and act in a way that was respectful and admirable. Basically, the opposite of Gabe. Percy was pulled out of his thoughts as Bianca and Hazel came into the dinning room laughing together. Persephone kissed Hazels head as she walked by her before they all sat down. Percy sat next to his mother who was also quick to kiss his head ruffling his hair a bit smiling at him. He can't help but smile back at her before looking over at his uncle who had opened his mouth to speak.

"Before we start eating I just wanted to say how thankful I am that our families have been reunited despite the fact that the circumstances under which this has happened are not necessarily bright. All that matters now is that we look forward to a brighter future." Hades says eloquently looking at Sally with a kind smile on his face. She returns his smile, nodding along to his statement.

"I could no agree more. It is wonderful feeling to be surrounded by family again and hopefully this lunch is the first of many." She adds.

* * *

Lunch went by pretty smoothly which was a huge relief for Percy. He spent most of it making small talk with his cousins who were more than eager to learn about their 'new' family member. All in all, it was a successful lunch. Percy thought Hazel was probably the sweetest most innocent human being he had ever met in his entire lifetime and could not help but feel warm and happy when she smiled at him. Bianca was just as great as her half-sister. He could tell she was very protective of her siblings just by the way her body reacted when Nico stubbed his toe on the foot of the table when he had come back from the kitchen to get some more water or the way Hazel started couching when she swallowed a larger chunk of her food than she should have. It seemed as thought she was ready to intervene and jump in to help them at any moments time, something which Percy loved about her. She was also just as kind and loving as the other members of her family. Over all, Percy felt completely welcomed by this family, despite how intimidating his uncle was. He still seemed to have the best intentions for his family member. After lunch, while his cousins went to help their step-mother in the kitchen with the dishes, Sally and Percy followed Hades to his office but Sally stopped right outside the doors, not going in. Percy stopped beside her looking up at her curiously. She smiles at him slightly putting her hand on his cheek.

"Your uncle is about to ask you some… sensitive questions about Gabe and he thinks it would be best if I wasn't in the room when he asked you those questions because maybe, if I was, you wouldn't give him the whole truth in order not to hurt me." She states kissing his head. While Percy wanted to protests, as he would be more comfortable with her in the room next to him, he knew that his uncle was right. He would want to protect his mother from the extent of the damages Gabe had done to him. He nods softly giving her a quick hug before going into the office, closing the door behind him. Hades motions for him to have a seat in front him and Percy is quick to do so. He fidgets slightly, playing with his fingers and tapping his fingers. He didn't usually like talking about Gabe to strangers and because this was so important, he really didn't want to mess it up. Hades looks up at him from his papers.

"How long would you say your step-father has been abusing you?" He asks in a surprisingly gentle tone. Percy looks down at his fingers before shrugging.

"Ever since he married my mother… He was nice at first, he used to take me out to the park and get me some ice cream or he would even buy me toys but… but maybe around a month after they got married he started hitting me when she was at work if he was bored or drunk… It started off small but the older and bigger I got, the worse it got. I ended up in the hospital a couple of times but since he was the one who took me there, he would blame it on fights I would get in at school or elsewhere…" Percy says not looking up from his hands. Hades frowns a bit at the statement.

"So you got into a lot of fights at school and outside of school? I only ask because this might come up in court and I need to know how to be able to protect you from his kind of defence on his part." Hades says trying to get Percy to open a bit more on the subject.

"I only ever got into fights at school because others were picking on me… or picking on others. I don't like bullies. Gabe is a bully and I could never deal with him because he was threatening us. He kept telling me if I ever told anybody that he would hurt my mother and if he couldn't hurt her than social services would blame her for putting me in a home with him and they would take her away from me. I could never deal with Gabe, I never had to courage to until recently. So when I saw others being bullied, I felt like I had the obligation to do something about it because I knew what if felt like to be in that position and I didn't want others to feel that way. The fights I had outside of school were with the same people I had fights with in school. They would follow me and threaten me to never get in their way again. I never listened though… and that got me expelled because since nobody ever bothered to stand up to them before, my arrival into the school was the instigator for the fights and that made everybody see me as the problem." Percy admits freely before looking up at his uncle. He was relieved no to see a look of pity in his eyes. Rather, Hades was looking down at his nephew with slight admiration. He had gone through so much and was always pegged as a problem when in reality, he was just a kid trying to make the world a better place. Percy and Hades talked for a little while longer, Percy not holding back any information whatsoever. He wanted Gabe to pay and pay he would… Percy spent the rest of his weekend with his mother. They made all the blue coloured food they could think off and spent hours watching all the movies they loved to watch with Poseidon. It was honestly the best weekend he had had in a while but as he lay in bed on Sunday night, he could not help but dread all the looks he would be getting when he got to school the morning.


End file.
